Playing with whiteness: toward a second wave of critical whiteness pedagogy

This essay relies on methods of narrative research to both present and consider an example of a second-wave of critical whiteness pedagogy in K-12 contexts. The author focuses on his interactions with one high school student–Adam–to theorize how The Whiteness Project allowed students to play with whiteness in generative, disruptive, and often confounding ways that are not afforded by traditional anti-racism pedagogies with white students. This essay considers a potential move toward playfulness, openness, and radical engagement in anti-racist whiteness pedagogies in schools.