Read the following articles
McIntosh, P. (1990). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. Independent School, 49(2), 31-36.
Hall, J. M., & Fields, B. (2013). Continuing the conversation in nursing on race and racism. Nursing Outlook, 61(3), 164-173.
According to McGibbon, Mulaudzi, Didham and Sochan (2013) post-colonialism is concerned with the unequal relations of power and the resulting practice of dominant groups defining meaning on behalf of the collective, determining what issues are of importance and where actions needs to be taken. Hall & Fields (2013) challenge us to consider the role of white privilege and racism within nursing and the overall health care system.
These views are grounded in critical theory which could be described as a social philosophy that critiques society in order to reveal, and ultimately undo, what proponents of this theory view as unfair social power structures. It is important to note that this framework has been criticized by a variety of scholars on several grounds including the potential for this framework to undermine and disempower the very groups in proports to defend, producing dangerous social division, and suppressing individuality through the use of abstract racial, ethnic, gender, etc. group identities.
In the interests of optimum dialogue on critically important social issues, not only within the nursing profession, but within the broader society, it is important to reflect on the ‘world view’ held by ourselves and others engaged in discussion and debate on many of the social issues facing all of us.
In this spirit, recognize that critical theory is just one lens through which to view issues such as equity, diversity and inclusion.
In your assigned online discussion group, use one of the following questions to guide your discussion.
You are not required to address each of the questions below, they are intended as guides only:
Is white privilege and/or racism present in nursing, and if so what strategies could be employed to correct this problem?
