Examining Whiteness in the Context of Anti-Racism Work: A Critical Discursive Psychology Analysis

BACKGROUND: The profession of clinical psychology was built upon the foundations of colonialism, eugenics and empiricism, with Whiteness and racism continuing to permeate the profession and the various systems in which it is embedded. In recent years, there has been a growing momentum around ‘racial justice’ and increasing calls for the profession to demonstrate a commitment to anti-racism. Against this backdrop, research that examines Whiteness in the context of anti-racism is both timely and necessary. This study set out to explore how White clinical psychologists (WCPs) construct their roles within anti-racism work, and how ‘race’, Whiteness and White identities are engaged with and constructed through their talk. More specifically, the research was interested to examine how participants’ talk functions to maintain/uphold or disrupt/challenge structures of Whiteness. METHODOLOGY: This study utilises a qualitative design, using Critical Discursive Psychology to analyse data that were collected through online focus groups with nine WCPs working within anti-racism/EDI/racial equity roles. FINDINGS: The analysis identified six core interpretative repertoires and a number of subrepertoires: 1) The Enlighted White Ally, 2) The Conflicted White Ally, 3) The Expert on the Pedestal, 4) The Tools of Clinical Psychology, 5) Change Takes Time and 6) The Burdened White Psychologist. Through these repertoires, participants engaged in complex discursive work to construct and negotiate their roles and White identities within anti-racism work. IMPLICATIONS: This research highlights how anti-racism work among WCPs is characterised by discursive strategies that both disrupt and uphold Whiteness. While there are moments of critical reflection and resistance in their talk, these are often entangled with discourses obscuring power, re-centring the White subject, or framing anti-racism in ways that maintain the status quo. Findings reveal how Whiteness continues to be reproduced, even within roles dedicated to anti-racism, and highlight questions around the adequacy of the profession’s existing tools, which often serve to protect Whiteness and maintain institutional norms. The research therefore highlights the need for accountability frameworks that centre racially minoritised voices, redistribute leadership power, and embed anti-racist praxis within training and services.