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johepal 2025, 6(2): 68-91 |
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Teig T, Grosman I, Cozzi N. (2025). The (White) Elephant in the Room: A Qualitative Critical Whiteness Study of Two Inclusive Leadership Programs. johepal. 6(2), 68-91. doi:10.61186/johepal.6.2.68
URL: http://johepal.com/article-1-1256-en.html
URL: http://johepal.com/article-1-1256-en.html
Abstract: (288 Views)
Leadership education has taken an important turn towards inclusive leadership learning and practice (Chunoo & Guthrie, 2021; Dugan & Humbles, 2018). Yet, understanding how Whiteness influences these spaces still requires exploration (Mahoney, 2016; Irwin, 2021; Wiborg, 2020). In this study, we examined two leadership programs at the same institution through an exploratory qualitative approach framed in Critical Whiteness (Applebaum, 2016; Nichols, 2010). We sought to understand how students’ inclusive leader identity was developed in relationship with their racial identity and Whiteness. Our findings indicated imperatives for tackling Whiteness and White Supremacy in the context of inclusive leadership learning. Additionally, we emphasized the need of centering social justice metacognition as a crucial factor in the development of student leadership identities. We noted a continuing necessity for educators to consider students’ previous and current environments of socialization in power systems (particularly Whiteness and White Supremacy). We identified the relevance of creating a learning container cognizant of these environmental factors that addresses the distinct needs of students (van Montfrans, 2017). Lastly, we clarified the importance of creating a humanizing learning space by building a collective embodied understanding of the social impacts on society and how to nourish social justice thinking.
Keywords: Whiteness, Inclusive Leadership, Critical Pedagogy, Social Justice, Leadership Identity Development
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/01/15 | Accepted: 2025/05/1 | Published: 2025/06/30
Received: 2025/01/15 | Accepted: 2025/05/1 | Published: 2025/06/30
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