Whiteness and Social Change

Whiteness and Social Change provides a comparative engagement with whiteness – the unearned and at times unmarked social-structural privilege afforded to some at the expense of others – in contemporary Australia and Canada.

Through a detailed examination of high profile community campaigns at Sandon Point (New South Wales, Australia) and the Red Hill Creek valley (Ontario, Canada) – situated alongside an analysis of white interpretations of the 1966 Wave Hill walkout (Northern Territory, Australia) – the actions of broader communities supporting First Peoples struggles expose whiteness as manifesting itself irrespective of intent.

Existing scholarship in sociology, science studies, political theory and critical whiteness studies are drawn on to identify means through which whiteness can be destabilised. The outcome is an identification of how collaborative struggle and the politics of experience produce moments of cognitive dissonance amongst white supporters. These moments are transformative, lay foundations for respect and recognition, and the move towards a fair and just society.