Part 8: What is white privilege and how can we dismantle it?
In part eight, University Lecturer and Doctor of Social Sciences Anne-Mari Souto discusses whiteness and white privilege in Finland.
Whiteness is a standard and idea against which racial segregation is founded. Normative whiteness is a part of the Finnish culture and national identity. Whiteness is related to a social power structure that awards benefits to those that can be identified as white. Whiteness is a status that involves historical, yet undeserved, privileges and power.
Racialised people often find their experience of being a Finn questioned. Souto provides advice for identifying one’s own white privilege and tips for dismantling this ideology. Souto shares a personal experience and explains what to do if you have accidentally repeated a racist pattern.
Materials supporting learning
See Anne-Mari Souto’s slideshow (pdf 1,2 MB)
Key concepts:
- whiteness
- white privilege
- white normativity
- segregation
- white fragility
- racialisation
- anti-racist pedagogy
Read more about the key concepts.
Reflect on the following questions:
- How is whiteness defined?
- What is normative whiteness?
- Why is whiteness so self-evident and ordinary in our society that we pay no attention to it?
- What is white privilege and how can you identify it in your own life?
- How can we break down white privilege?
