ERIC Number: EJ943128
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1946-2077
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
White Girls Constructing Abstract and Embodied Racial Identities in an Urban Elementary School
Zacher, Jessica
Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research, v2 p21-33 2006
In this paper I examine the ways that three fifth-grade girls from different socioeconomic backgrounds formed and reformed their racial identities in a diverse urban public school. Although the girls were labeled as "White" by their parents and the school district, none identified as "White." Drawing on data from an ethnographic study of children's identification strategies, I look at the conjunction of race, socioeconomic class, and human geography to analyze their identity work. I find that at this particular site, Whiteness is both an abstract category and a personal, embodied identity for the girls and their peers. (Contains 6 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Race, Females, Human Geography, Racial Identification, Grade 5, Whites, Urban Schools, Elementary School Students, Socioeconomic Background, Self Concept, Ethnography, Peer Groups, Student Diversity
AERA SIG: Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research. Tel: 323-343-4393; Web site: http://aera-ultr.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 5
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A