White defensiveness

For the book, see White Fragility.

White defensiveness, white denial, white diversion, and white fragility are terms used in some academic and social discussions to describe certain reactions by white individuals during conversations about societal discrimination and concepts such as structural racism and white privilege. It has been applied to analyze responses to discussions of the Atlantic slave trade, European colonization, and scholarly work examining the long-term effects of these historical systems on contemporary societies. Researchers have proposed several categories of such responses, including what they label as denial, diversion, and fragility, with the latter concept gaining wider attention through the work of scholar Robin DiAngelo.

Within these theoretical frameworks, some white individuals are described as exhibiting discomfort or resistance when questioned about racial dynamics or potential instances of racism. These reactions are interpreted by proponents of the theory as coping or self-protective mechanisms, sometimes linked to emotional responses such as distress or the perceived inheritance of historical experiences across generations.

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