Honors Thesis Archive

Author	Adam Schueler
Title	The Case For Ambushing Whiteness: Reconfiguring White Supremacy and Racial Realism
Department	Philosophy & Interdepartmental
Advisors	Nancy McHugh, Julius Bailey, and Scott Rosenberg
Year	2013
Honors	University Honors
Full Text	View Thesis (162 KB)
Abstract	The history of the United States reveals a deeply racialized country based firmly in the hegemonic dominance of white supremacy. This systematic framework immediately imposed an a priori understanding of one's identity based solely on the pigmentation of one's skin. This essay is an attempt to shift the scope of discussions of racism to implicate the white racist. By developing a further understanding of the white racist, all while directly connecting their individual role in maintaining such a paradigm, I believe that we can better understand the pervasive nature of racism in our culture. As those responsible for perpetuating racism, I believe whites possess a responsibility to recognize their own role in oppression while pragmatically investing themselves in the dismantling of such a framework. I reject pragmatic attempts to construct a culture that can subvert the racist norm our society has manufactured. I will argue that a culture that promotes ambush on whiteness in its everyday operations and practices will be necessary to subvert our white supremacist culture. I hope this essay will compel further study, with the ultimate goal of creating dialogue in an area often purposefully made invisible.