Whiteness

As we discussed in Le Grande Autre, the act of othering is not only distancing oneself from the Other, but also making onself the norm, or neutral. Whiteness refers to this as it applies to "whites", particularly in North America. As a result of this “normativeness” which has become ingrained in North American society, whites are given certain institutional privileges. Among them being the ability to learn about their own history in school, not being subject to job refusals based on race (generally speaking), and having overwhelming representation in the media and politics (Media Awareness Network, 2008). Many see Whiteness as having originated in colonialism, when othering was at its strongest, and whites were exerting their power as the dominant race.