1. deconstructing race & whiteness in development an original workshop by Roxanne Ma & Adryan Bergstrom-Borins presented at the 5 th annual international development conference at the university of toronto scarborough on feb. 6 & 7, 2016

2. dish with one spoon wampum

3. workshop values ●to create a safe space for learning ●to create a comfortable place for sharing and reflection ●to give everyone equal opportunity to participate at their desired level [ ] there are many ways to deconstruct, interpret, and re-interpret race & whiteness

4. the learning omelette learning zone panic zone comfort zone

5. the learning omelette learning zone comfort zone break into in learning zone omelette process of learning and becoming comfortable in challenging our own assumptions

6. what is race?

7. the myth of race ●race: a category of people based on shared physical characteristics, such as colour of skin, hair texture, stature, and facial characteristics biological mythsocial reality ●no biological gene or chromosome for “race” ●definitions of what constitutes “race” have changed over time ●“race” has no biological relationship to our traits ●race exists as a social category ●race is used as a tool of power and domination ●race is used to distinguish status ●race created racism

8. where did race come from? ●concept created by European colonialists to classify people into five distinct groups based on physical characteristics and geographic ancestry ●race, in effect, created racism - the institutionalization of these racial practices (racial hierarchies) in government, laws and society

9. racism ●prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior ●based on the assumption that a person’s social and moral traits are predetermined by their inborn biological characteristics “[racism] is not about how you look, it is about how people assign meaning to how you look” – Robin D.G. Kelley, Historian

10. racialization ●process of ascribing ethnic or racial identities to a relationship, social practice, or group that did not identify itself as such ●social process of attributing superior-inferior status, and the complex relationships of exploitation, control, and exclusion, resulting in the attendant experience of oppression ●gave rise to the ideological construction of the ‘racialized other’ (Dr. Lorne Foster, The Process of Racialization, 2006-2007 lecture)

11. whiteness and “white passing” ●socially constructed ideology tied to social status, superiority, power, and privilege ●a normalized category; an invisible racial position ●“white passing” is used to describe a person of multiracial ancestry who is accepted into the white majority [ ] by examining whiteness, we are actively making whiteness visible and challenging its normalization and naturalization

12. shadeism/colourism a form of discrimination based on skin colour prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group

14. everyone is racialized - yes, white people too “as long as race is something applied only to non-white peoples, as long as white people are not racially seen and named, they/we function as a human norm. other people are raced, they/we are just people … the point of seeing the racing of whites is to dislodge them/us from the position of power, with all the inequities, oppression, privileges and sufferings in its train, dislodging them/us by undercutting the authority with which they/we speak and act in and on the world” Dyer, R. (1997). White. London: Routledge.

15. why is development so white?

16. development as a white construct ●the notion of ‘development’ is a colonial ideological construction ●white bodies and minds are privileged as the source of knowledge and expertise in development - in both study and practice ●development is founded on racial hierarchies e.g. savage vs. civilized, rich vs. poor, progressive vs. backward

17. representation in development studies queen’s university, global development studies 100% of core faculty are white or “white-passing” (7/7) university of ottawa, school of international development & global studies approx 80% of faculty are white or “white-passing” (26/33) mcgill university, institute for the study of international development approx 85% of ids programme committee for 2014-2015 are white (6/7) approx. 80% of faculty are white (38/48) utsc, centre for critical development studies approx. 70% of ids faculty are white (9/13)

18. thinking about race in development ●the dominant racial group in any place is the norm ●when we cross “borders”, or cultural / geographic spaces, our racialized bodies become visible, and we are often forced to confront (and unpack) our own race ●our bodies carry a complex matrix of power and status, esp. in development, because of the histories of colonization globally

19. activity

21. reflective activity “who i am” poem

22. i am afternoon naps and hot tea drinking i am catloving, curious, and hardworking i am self-care practiced everyday i am passionate for living for today i am goofy with circles of friends i am human with many wounds to mend i am english-speaking, colonized, forever never-belonging i am ever-changing, growing, always evolving i am "unity in diversity" and "speaking from your own experience" i am learning to be more patient, and practice gratitude and appreciation i am diversity, social action, and introspection i am passion for educating, facilitating, and making connections i am my own past (her)stories i am enough for me.

23. take-home seeds our racialized bodies are not neutral. they carry power/privilege in different ways, especially when we move across different cultural spaces it is important to de-centre our own assumptions, especially in the context of development, where whiteness is so invisible and normalized we encourage you to engage in meaningful discussion about race within your families, communities, and other social institutions, to examine and re-examine your thoughts about your race and identity

24. resources ●please see our list provided ●(includes free, open access books & other knowledge sources)

25. thank you! roxanne.ma@mail.utoronto.ca adryan.bergstrom.borins@utoronto.ca