Untangling Whiteness: Education, Resistance and Transformation

Having entered an era of legislated anti-critical race theory and heightened white supremacist attitudes embraced by non-white holders as well, this book illuminates the complex dynamics of whiteness and the power it wields as an invisible force. The accessibility of clearly defined concepts will appeal to readers at different stages seeking critical tools for productive discussions on race, racism, and whiteness.

Dr Adele N. Norris

Sociology | Social Policy Program

University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

Few scholars are able to theorise the dynamic and complex relationship between race and whiteness and bring these into meaningful conversation with students' lived realities. In "UntanglingWhiteness: Education, Resistance and Transformation", de Saxe does both. Her insight and passion to empower individuals to name and transform their conditions of oppression is courageous and timely. This book is a must-have for critical educators who are striving for a more just society.

Dr Liana MacDonald

School of Social and Cultural Studies

Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

“Untangling Whiteness” provides ways to understand both how universities perpetuate caustic ideologies such as whiteness yet can also become the very spaces to unlearn, resist, and transform such destructive mentalities into sites of liberation. Grounded in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand, Jennifer Gale de Saxe is an expert educator drawing from years of classroom experiences to impart an accessible text for students and teachers alike.

Dr Aaron J. Hahn Tapper

Mae and Benjamin Swig Professor in Jewish Studies

Founding Director, Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice

University of San Francisco

Author of "Judaisms: A Twenty-First-Century Introduction to Jews and Jewish Identities"

In this important work, Jennifer Gale de Saxe explores white supremacy as a global phenomenon that is as impactful in Aotearoa, New Zealand, as in the United States. By weaving together theory, student voice, and discussion of her university courses, de Saxe provides a model of racially-informed practice that invites us to be attentive, not only to our own racial identities, but to how whiteness and white supremacy are situated within classrooms, institutions, and ultimately, ourselves.

Dr Alain Sykes

Dean of Equity and Social Impact

Drew School: San Francisco, California

“Untangling Whiteness” offers educators a vocabulary and method for engaging with discomforting conversations about race and whiteness in Aotearoa. In this book, Jennifer Gale de Saxe deftly navigates the complex role of universities as both sites to resist and sites of resistance, offering a nuanced critique of how these institutions uphold whiteness and racial domination while highlighting the potential for liberatory education within university spaces. Having witnessed the transformative effects of de Saxe’s pedagogical approach on sociology and anthropology students at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, this book has a permanent place in my library alongside work by Paulo Freire, bell hooks, and George Yancy.

Dr Lorena Gibson

Programme Director, Cultural Anthropology

Te Kura Mahinga Tangata | Social and Cultural Studies

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand