The Social Construction of Whiteness in Shellcracker Haven, Florida

This article examines the ways in which socially constructed racial categories are operationalized. It challenges popular and scholarly representations of the meanings of "whiteness" and considers processes of identity formation in the production of white poverty. The primary thesis is that poor whites, exemplified in a case study of Shellcracker Haven, Florida, are racially denigrated in the context of the historically specific, social, political, and economic processes that pauperize them. These processes are necessarily unique because, unlike visible minorities whose distinctive physiognomy facilitates socially constructed differentiation, the distancing and devaluation of poor whites require other tactics. These include construction of stereotyped images, behaviors, and values which create social distance, and "explain" white poverty. A secondary thesis holds that racial denigration of poor whites intensifies racism. Racism acts as a unilateral (and seldom reciprocated) assertion of membership in privileged white society. It also blocks identification with others who, by way of historically specific and parallel paths, also find themselves poor and disenfranchised. By promoting racism aimed at non-white social groups, racism aimed at poor whites protects the status quo of the distribution of power and privilege in the U.S.