Oppression and Privilege: Toward a Relational Conceptualization of Race

Abstract

In this paper I bring together this diverse literature into what I call a relational model—one that focuses on both the oppressive and the privileging aspects of race. Using the concepts of white privilege and white supremacy to show how race implicates everyone, this paradigm provides a more realistic account of race and its effects on people's lives. After outlining this model in contrast to the traditional view, I focus on issues involved in teaching about race as a relation: preparing to teach about race from this model, taking it into the classroom, and dealing with white students' reactions to this conceptualization.