Racial and Gender Identity Development in White Male Multicultural Educators and Facilitators:
Toward Individual Processes of Self-development

I am a white male multicultural awareness facilitator. As such, I facilitate activities and discussions focused on multicultural issues and identifiers including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, ability status, and religion. In these forums, I request that individuals describe from their personal experience what it means to be "female," "Jewish," "Latino," or other identification descriptors. It is through facilitating the exchange of these experiences and perspectives and advocating for the introspective process of exploring them that I work to build an atmosphere conducive to introspection, self-development, and increased awareness of a discussion's participants.

Yet, despite facilitating experiences encouraging this type of introspection and self-development for others, I have failed to model a similar process regarding my own identity. A variety of dynamics within my personal experience have influenced this. First, my whiteness (McIntosh, 1988) and my maleness (O'Neil, 1982), as well as my identifications with other groups in power, have afforded me the privilege to avoid engaging in such a process. Because I am not discriminated against on the basis of my race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic class, or any other cultural identifier, I have the privilege to disengage myself from a discussion of these issues and from a process of confronting my role in the oppression of less privileged groups (McIntyre, 1997; Feagin and Vera, 1995).

A second dynamic influencing my failure to embark on a process of introspection and self-development concerning my identity is a lack of direct consideration for the identity development of oppressor groups in the field of multiculturalism. In most of the classes, workshops and conferences I have participated in, conversations have revolved strictly around the experiences of traditionally oppressed groups. Likewise, the literature regarding multiculturalism tends to focus tightly on the experiences of oppressed groups (Howard, 1993). Consequently, the introspection, experiences and self-critiques of white males in the field remain unexamined by multicultural education as an institution. In the multicultural spirit of inclusion, I recognize the essentiality of creating atmospheres in which I have the opportunity to hear and learn from often-excluded or silenced voices. Still, my own self-development depends on another dialog - one in which I address what it means for me to be white, male, heterosexual, etc., as well as an exploration of how this influences my interactions and existence (McIntyre, 1997; Helms, 1985).

A third prevalent dynamic affecting an insufficient exploration of my own identity development has been a lack of other people in the field of multiculturalism, such as white males, who identify primarily with traditional oppressor groups. In specific regard to race, according to Sue (1993), those white people who become involved in multicultural work tend to do so for personal academic reasons. Such people are often, as I have been, resistant to exploring multicultural issues introspectively because doing so may elicit a sense of responsibility for working toward the transformation of both self and society. Consequently, my introspection, experiences and self-critiques, as a white male involved in multicultural work, remain unexamined both by me and by white males collectively.

Despite these dynamics, if I am to continue growing as a multicultural awareness facilitator and as an individual, and if I am going to act as a model for the participants of discussions I facilitate, I must concurrently embark on a process for developing and understanding my identity and how it is manifested in my work. Even with the varying conceptualizations of multiculturalism drawn out in the education, sociology, anthropology, and psychology literature, a point of agreement across the board is the importance of this process toward self-awareness and introspection regarding personal identity in the development of multicultural competence (Hidalgo, 1993; Sleeter, 1996; McIntyre, 1997; McLaren, 1995). According to Hidalgo,

Our culture provides the lens through which we view the world and interpret our everyday experiences. Culture informs what we see and understand, as well as what we omit and misconstrue. Many components make up our view of the world: our ethnic and racial identification, the region of the country we come from, the type of neighborhood we live in, our socioeconomic background, our gender, the language(s) we speak, our disabilities, our past experiences, and our life-style. We need to think about the ways in which these parts of us define our perspectives (1993, p. 100).

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the process of white identity development and male identity development of a group of white males involved in multicultural work. What are the contributing issues and experiences in the racial and gender identity development of individual white male multicultural educators and facilitators? How does the perception of racial and gender identity development affect individual teaching practices of white male multicultural educators and facilitators?

An abundance of research exists explaining and assessing the importance of this process in the multicultural competence of white counselors (Carter, 1990; Katz, 1985; Ponterotto, 1988), researchers (Parham, 1993; Sue, 1993; Pedersen, 1993), and educators (McIntyre, 1997; Sleeter, 1996; McLaren, 1995; Haymes, 1995). Similarly, much work has been done regarding the importance of this process for males (David and Brannon, 1976; LaFollette, 1992; Pasick, 1990; Seidler, 1990). Yet, the need remains for white males in the field of multiculturalism - including the researcher - to actively and continually embark on our own process of awareness and self-development regarding our identities and how these affect our work. Likewise, the need remains to fill the void in the literature regarding the documentation of the experiences of white males who are currently immersed in this process.

This dissertation is a step toward filling that void, intimately examining the racial and gender identity development of four white males, and illustrating a new introspective approach to research for understanding identity. Meanwhile, as I, the researcher, embark on my own process of introspection and self-awareness concerning my racial and gender identity, this study serves as a model for educators and others who recognize the importance of this process, but have yet to commit to exploring these issues for themselves.

Outline of Remaining Chapters A review of the literature regarding white identity, male identity development, and the white male experience in multiculturalism is provided in the following chapter. Chapter three explains the phenomenological, heuristic methodology employed to capture the experiences of the participants and the researcher without the constraints of predetermined theory or modalities. The following four chapters consist of case narratives of the participants and researcher and micro-analyses of each case. The final chapter describes the cross-case observations, findings, recommendations, and directions for future research.

designed and maintained by Paul C. Gorski
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