Routledge Handbook of Critical Studies in Whiteness Published

Four years of painstaking collaborative work on the Routledge Handbook of Critical Studies in Whiteness has come to fruition in its publication on the 21st December 2021.

Co-Edited by Shona Hunter and Christi van der Westhuizen, in 6 parts, with 28 Chapter contributions and a final Epilogue, the Handbook represents the efforts and commitment of 35 authors; numerous anonymous reviewers; 5 very generous endorsers; various Editors and Editorial Assistants at Routledge and in South Africa via NMU; and the generous gifting of the use of the Anti-Apartheid artist Norman Catherine's artwork 'Show and Tell 5' to the cover image. It is the product of very very many intricate, complex and generous relationalities across the globe.

A different sort of decolonial critique of the operations of whiteness

'The handbook offers a unique decolonial take on the field of Critical Whiteness Studies by rehistoricising and re-spatialising the study of bodies and identities in the world system of coloniality.

Situating the critical study of whiteness as a core intellectual pillar in a broadly based project for racial and social justice, the volume understands whiteness as elaborated in global coloniality through epistemology, ideology and governmentality at the intersections with heteropatriarchy and capitalism. The diverse contributions present Black and other racially diverse scholarship as crucial to the field. The focus of inquiry is expanded beyond Northern Anglophone contexts to challenge centre/margin relations, examining whiteness in the Caribbean, South Africa and the African continent, Asia, the Middle East as well as in the United States and parts of Europe. Providing a transdisciplinary approach and addressing debates about knowledges, black and white subjectivities and newly defensive forms of whiteness, as seen in the rise of the Radical Right, the handbook deepens our understanding of power, place, and culture in coloniality.'

For more on the contents and ordering information check out the Product Page at Routledge.

Check out the Beckett Talks podcast discussion on the Handbook where the Co-Editors Shona Hunter and Christi van der Westhuizen discuss many of the themes and issues and overview the range of contributions.

Open access materials available:

There is free to access preview material available to access via the Product Page. This includes:

• the volume 'Preface'; by Shona Hunter and Christi van der Westhuizen

• most of the first chapter 'Viral Whiteness: Twenty-first century global colonialities' by Shona Hunter and Christi van der Westhuizen;

• the introduction to Part 1: Onto-epistemologies: Theory Against Whiteness

• most of the second chapter 'Emerging whiteness in early-modern India: A Nietzschean reading of Jan Huygen van Linschoten'

The whole of the first chapter on 'Viral Whiteness: Twenty-first century global colonialities' is available in Taylor Francis Ebooks along with the Preface, Contents, Contributor information all to download via PDF.

Endorsements

The generous endorsers for the Handbook suggest that it is 'hard to think of a more necessary critical renewal of whiteness studies' (Naser Meer, Whiteness and Nationalism).

An 'insightfully curated, scholarly tour de force' which makes for 'captivating reading' (Norman Duncan,‘Race, Memory, and the Apartheid Archive’ )

A 'fiery examination of whiteness; its intersections, infusions and leaching logics across time, place and systems of colonial and racial domination' and 'A treasure trove for teachers, students and activists' (Yasmin Gunaratnam, Researching Race and Ethnicity and Death and the Migrant)

'An insurgent call for racial justice ... a provocation, a challenge, and a conversation, offering new constellations of possibilities to approach the field of critical whiteness studies. in which 'chapters rumble with a thoughtful intensity that both activists and intellectuals require to carry forth visions of radical change, especially in these times when events in one part of the world cascades in another."

(Nalini Mohabir, The Fire that Time: Transnational Black Radicalism and the Sir George Williams Occupation)

That it will 'infuriate those who are invested in maintaining the status quo; and only encourage those who are determined to act together to change it'. (Vron Ware, Out of Whiteness) 　

We very much hope that all of our efforts live up to this praise offered and we are looking forward to the conversations and actions and relationships that continue to grow out of the producing of this volume and now through its voyage out into the world.

As Shona said yesterday to one of the contributors Jamie Kherbaoui, 'it is a volume with heart'. I have a full heart now for a little while.

Reviews & Press

2022

Hynek Pallas Swedish Expressen, Kultur 2nd, May 2022.

Deidre Pretorius 'New Book Challenges Whiteness: A Review through the Cover Image', The Conversation, 13, July.

2023

Hannelie Marx Knoetze English Academy Review, Number 39:86-89

June Yee and Gary C. Dumbrill Critical Social Policy, Volume 43, Number 2:363-364

Evangelia Kindinger in American Studies, Volume 68, Number 3:431-415.

2025

Fanga Agbor Martial Journal of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies: Volume. 2: Issue. 2, Article 4.

Temidayo Eseonu Ethics and Social Welfare, preprint 30th November 2025

Launch event updates, recordings and related materials

Leeds Beckett University/Nelson Mandela University 2022, 15-17 February

A series of 5 launch events took place over three days. These included 5 panel conversations between authors, editors and audience on the various thematics of the collection across the 6 sections of the volume. Please find more information in this flyer.

routledge handbook launch_final flyer.pdf

Download PDF • 356KB

Please find the recordings of each of the five events.

Online Launch event 1

Online Launch event 2

Online Launch event 3

Online Launch event 4

Online Launch event 5

Leipzig University Research Centre for Global Dynamics (ReCentGlobe) January 10th 2023

The Research Centre for Global Dynamics (ReCentGlobe) hosted a launch event as part of its Druckfrisch discussion series with the editors Shona Hunter Christi van der Westhuizen (Guest Professor at ReCentGlobe at the time). They were joined by the contributors Sarah Heinz and Mark Schmitt in conversation with discussant Evangelia Kindinger.

If you want to review the volume

We are happy to carry on the conversation. If you are interested in reviewing the volume for Journals or other sources please be in contact with Shona or Christi at our institutional addresses s.d.hunter@leedsbeckett.ac.uk or c.v.dwesthuizen@uwc.ac.za

Alternatively if you comment in response to this post I (Shona) will be able to pick this up.

Last updated 15.01.2025