Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
In the United States, how parents and youth make sense of, resist, and reinforce the macro-level context of white supremacy and intersectional oppression is crucial to racial socialization and identity development. In the current paper, we examine this reciprocal relationship, arguing that nice, liberal whiteness acts as a master narrative in New England, where the current study takes place. Comprised of a self-image of tolerance combined with general silence on race, racism, and related oppression, this societal script shapes daily life while maintaining white racial segregation and supremacy. We analyzed the manifestation of this master narrative using interviews on race and LGBTQ+ issues with 22 mothers ( M age = 45.50, SD = 5.32; 21 white, one Black/white Multiracial; all women) and their adolescent children ( n = 22; M age = 13.82, SD = .39; 19 white, two Multiracial, one Black; 14 girls, eight boys), from financially advantaged, predominantly white communities. Using qualitative analysis, we identified four themes that reinforced and two that resisted the master narrative. Our findings highlight both the pervasive nature of nice, liberal whiteness and ambivalence in socialization and development. Drawing on a critical whiteness lens, we explore participants’ narratives and unpack implications at the individual and societal levels.
Moffitt et al. (Mon,) studied this question.