Race is a Paradox: How Students Make Sense of Structure and Agency in Inter- and Intra-Group Dialogue.

Abstract

Race operates in paradoxical and inconsistent ways. It is real with no basis in scientific reality; it is both hyper-visible and invisible; it powerfully shapes our lives even as it is carefully avoided and dismissed as unimportant. Thus, learning about race and racism can be cognitively difficult as well as emotionally laden. Empirical research demonstrates intergroup dialogue’s positive outcomes for participants. However, while a great deal of research has documented how intergroup dialogue supports students’ needs affectively (e.g., exploring empathy in dialogue), few studies have explored how dialogue students may struggle to understand the cognitively complex nature of race.

To fill this gap, I explore how students make sense of agency and structure as they learn about race and racism through intergroup dialogue. Rather than assigning students to a stagnant position (e.g., a developmental stage or holistic attitude), I explore students’ narratives. By employing critical empathy (Gurin et al. 2014) as a technique for data analysis, I deconstruct papers and interview transcripts of 139 students who participate in inter- and intragroup dialogue courses on race and ethnicity.

Ultimately, six narratives reveal how students make sense of race and racism. Two narratives (we’re all the same; everyone is unique) reveal binary thinking and reject the utility of race. Two different narratives (I am not a villain; struggling to see and represent race) convey students’ difficulty as they work to apply new realizations about the importance of race. Finally, two narratives (accepting contradiction and unknowability; both intention and consequence matter) demonstrate students’ acceptance of the complicated and inconsistent ways that race and racism operate. Attending to students’ cognitive processes may therefore enable instructors and practitioners to effectively challenge students; in particular, it may be vital to highlight the “both/and” (rather than “either/or”) nature of race and racism.