Beyond the Face of Race - Emo-Cognitive Explorations of White Neurosis and Racial Cray-Cray

Oct 15, 2026

Beyond the Face of Race examines how “white entitlement” and “racial anxiety” emerge in interracial interactions, producing emotionally charged and cognitively complex responses. It introduces the concept of “emo-cognitions,” capturing the intertwined work of emotion and cognition, and argues that white colorblind ideology triggers a pre-existing emo-cognitive neurosis. The article details racial co-production through the notion of “racial cray-cray,” and uses interdisciplinary critical whiteness studies and critical race theory, including parables, counterstories, and a poetic letter, to illuminate how white supremacy is reproduced in education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Emo-cognitions and racial co-production

Theoretical framing

Colorblind ideology and white responses

Impacts and implications

Effects on people of color

Method and narrative approach

Parables, counterstories, and poetic letter

Beyond the Face of Race: Emo-Cognitive Explorations of White Neurosis and Racial Cray-Cray By Cheryl E. Matias & Robin DiAngelo Cheryl E. Matias is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Foundations in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado. Robin DiAngelo is an associate professor in the Department of Education at Westfield State University, Westfield, Massachusetts. Interaction with White people is at times so overwhelming, draining, and incomprehensible that it causes serious anguish for People of Color. Take for example when a White colleague abruptly links arms with a colleague of Color and declares, “It’s not about race but I have something to tell you”(signaling it is definitely about race). The colleague of Color—whose arm is still being held—is left wondering why in the world a White person would start an interaction in such a manner. How about a hello? Does she begin conversations with White people like this? And why does she feel entitled to grab me before telling me what is not about race? In this seemingly simple interaction is a plethora of emotional and mental racial dynamics, which in this article we term emo-cognitions. We use this term to capture the simultaneous interplay between cognitionsand emotions. While these emo-cognitions and the behaviors they inform are generated from Whites,1 they implicate people of color who must navigate them. Thus, a specific racial 􀀳 co-production is formed. We term this co-production racial cray-cray (cray-cray=an African-American euphemism for utter craziness); the crazy making that results from White denial of racial saliency (Gildersleeve, Croom, & Vasquez, 2011) . While the White colleague’s approach described above is certainly a sign of White entitlement, it is also a sign of racial anxiety; an emotional condition that is routinely produced in interracial conversations that hint to race. In the example above, given that it has been racially framed (through the disclaimer that it isn’t about race), it would be reasonable for the colleague of color to offer her racial perspective on the situation her White colleague wants to share. Yet the surfacing of material that Whites recognize as racial appears to be an implicit cue for definitive claims such as,“But it’s not about race because I’m not a racist!” People of color are left to wonder what reality Whites inhabit. What?! What are you talking about? How can you not see this?! In seeking to understand the emo-cognitions that undergird these dynamics, we ask,“What is the condition that compels whitesto so consistently perform these behaviors, and how does it impact people of color?” We conceptualize the predictability of these White responses as a kind of pre-existing emo-cognitive neurosis that erupts whenever colorblind ideology is challenged. Bonilla-Silva (2006) documents these responses in his study of colorblind White racism. He states,“Because the new racial climate in America forbids the open expression of racially based feelings, views, and positions, when Whites discuss issues that make them uncomfortable, they become almost incomprehensible—I, I, I, I don’t mean, you know, but…—”(p. 68) . Probing forbidden racial issues results in verbal incoherence—digressions, long pauses, repetition, and self corrections. He suggests that this incoherent talk is a function of talking about race in a world that insists that race does not matter. In this article, we focus on the emotional and cognitive context that underlies whiteness. We employ interdisciplinary approaches of critical Whiteness studies and critical race theory to entertain how common White responses to racial material stem from the need for Whites to deny race, a traumatizing process that begins in childhood. First, we begin with an overview of the interconnected property of race to show how this co-production is linked. Then we offer an emotional-based perspecti

FAQs

What does the article mean by “emo-cognitions” in interracial interactions?

It uses “emo-cognitions” to describe the simultaneous interplay between cognitions and emotions that shape how racial dynamics unfold in seemingly ordinary encounters.

How is “racial cray-cray” defined in the article?

“Racial cray-cray” refers to the “crazy making” that results from white denial of racial saliency, producing a co-produced racial dynamic that people of color must navigate.

Why does the article claim white responses are tied to a deeper psychological condition?

It conceptualizes these responses as a pre-existing emo-cognitive neurosis that erupts when colorblind ideology is challenged, leading to verbal incoherence and self-corrections.

Oct 15, 2026

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