Current definition of ‘whiteness’:
Whiteness is the widespread, multi-level enactments of white supremacy, incorporating the prevailing historical/contemporary white supremacist sociopolitical attentions to what is (ab)normal about and are (in)appropriate uses of the body, that—while inflicting the greatest violences against Black and Indigenous Peoples—extends beyond race/ethnicity through its control of all bodies, their/our functions, and bodily agencies.
My first published definition of ‘whiteness’ can be found in the March 2021 issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
Updated Definition of ‘whiteness’
I’ve been defining ‘whiteness’ in one way or another for several years, and about once per year I update it as I learn, engage with texts and others, and react to the world. Here is my 2026 update:
Whiteness is the widespread, multi-level enactments of white supremacy, incorporating the prevailing historical/contemporary white supremacist sociopolitical attentions to what is (ab)normal about and are (in)appropriate uses of the body, that—while inflicting the greatest violences against Black and Indigenous Peoples—extends beyond race/ethnicity through its control of all bodies, their/our functions, and bodily autonomy/agency.