The Specter of Whiteness: Experiences of BIPOC in the MLIS and on Social Media

Abstract

Through qualitative in-depth interviewing and inductive thematic analysis, this research seeks to amplify the experiences of a population in Library and Information Studies (LIS) that is often underrepresented: Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) who are in the Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) program or are early career professionals. This research also addresses another element often missing in research about BIPOC in LIS: their unique relationship to social media. By understanding the MLIS and social media as two information environments, this research addresses three important research questions: 1) How do BIPOC describe and understand their experiences of race and racialization in the MLIS?; 2) How do BIPOC describe and understand their experiences of race and racialization on social media?; 3) How are participants’ experiences of race and racialization shaped and impacted by the information environments (of social media and MLIS programs) in which they are operating? While centering BIPOC experiences and trying to decenter Whiteness, the findings of this research indicated that Whiteness was always present, in the shadows. The specter of Whiteness was central to this research, describing how Whiteness is haunting: felt, embodied, and understood but often not perceived clearly. Findings indicated that BIPOC were impacted by the specter of Whiteness in descriptions of being isolated or othered in the MLIS and by experiencing second hand racism on social media. While participants described the ways that social media allowed for more opportunities for connection and community than the MLIS, both environments were greatly influenced by the reproduction of Whiteness. However, participants also described resisting Whiteness by refusing to be hyper-visible and through community building with BIPOC. Additionally, this research demonstrated that calling out Whiteness made the specter of Whiteness more material, less invisible, and thus less powerful in some sense.