White Kids: Identity Construction, Critical Mass, and Symbolic Exclusion in High School Cliques and other Groups

Oct 15, 2026

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This ethnographic study examines how white high school students interpret the meaning of their racial identity in two differently diverse public urban school settings. It analyzes the discourse students use to describe themselves, their cliques, and other groups, and applies thematic coding to interview and observation data. Findings address boundary work, symbolic exclusion, group rigidity and group options, critical mass, and white consciousness.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Research Questions and Study Design

Organization of the Article

Theoretical Framework

UC Berkeley Berkeley Review of Education Title White Kids: Identity Construction, Critical Mass, and Symbolic Exclusion in High School Cliques and other Groups Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6qv650kx](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6qv650kx) Journal Berkeley Review of Education, 2(1) ISSN 1947-5578 Authors Lueck, Kerstin Steffen, Hayley Publication Date 2011-01-01 Peer reviewed [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Available online at [http://escholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre](http://escholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre) White Kids: Identity Construction, Critical Mass, and Symbolic Exclusion in High School Cliques and other Groups Kerstin Lueck a1 and Hayley Steffenb a University of California, Berkeley b George Mason University Abstract This ethnographic study explored to what extent white students were able to critically understand the significance of their racial identity in more diverse demographic settings. It further looked at the discourse the students used to describe themselves, their cliques, and other groups with regard to race and racial identities. The participants in this study were students at two public urban high schools in the same district, one where white students have a substantial critical mass but are not the majority and one in which they comprise a small minority. Interview and observation data were analyzed through thematic coding. The emerging themes coded for included boundary work, symbolic exclusion, group rigidity and group options, critical mass, and white consciousness. Keywords: Identity Construction, Symbolic Exclusion, Boundary Work, Critical Mass, Cliques, Racial Groups, Public Urban High School Research on race and ethnicity in the U.S. has increasingly turned its focus to the“invisible” identity, the norm: the identity of white Americans. Findings show that most whites are socialized to view themselves as “normal” individuals and as “colorblind,”claiming they do not perceive race in social interactions (Gallagher, 1997, Lewis, 2003; McDermott & Samson, 2005; Twine & Gallagher, 2008; Waters, 2009) . These studies give evidence that many white Americans are oblivious to the implications and impact their race has on society. However, recent studies (Feagin, Vera, & Bature, 2001; Lewis, 2003; Waters, 1990) are limited because they have only analyzed participants within a predominantly white environment, such as corporate America and higher education—settings that have a history of gatekeeping and discriminating against people of color. Thus, it is understandable that participants of these studies have a limited understanding of their racial identity and white privilege, as Orfield (2001) hypothesized, because they are members of the most highly isolated racial group as a result of being socialized and raised in homogeneous environments. 1 Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Kerstin Lueck, Department of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley; [410 Barrows Hall. E-mail: kerstin.lueck@berkeley.edu](410 Barrows Hall. E-mail: kerstin.lueck@berkeley.edu). The authors would like to thank Prof. Lenora Timm and the reviewers for their helpful comments. Berkeley Review of Education Vol. 2 No . 1, pp. 47-67 48 Lueck & Steffen This ethnographic study explored whether the colorblind perspective exists in more diverse demographics. We studied two public high school campuses, one where the white student population is 48% and one where whites comprise 9% of the student population. We also examined the lines along which cliques or friendship groups are formed and the degree to which students are aware of racial identities and the composition of their group and other groups. In so doing, we asked the following research questions: (a) Comparing the two schools, how are white students organizing themselves into social groups, and how do school dem

FAQs

What does this study investigate about white students’ racial identity?

It explores the extent to which white students can critically understand the significance of their racial identity in more diverse demographic settings and how they describe it through social group life.

What data and analysis methods does the study use?

The study analyzes interview and observation data using thematic coding to identify emerging themes.

What key themes does the study code for?

The coded themes include boundary work, symbolic exclusion, group rigidity and group options, critical mass, and white consciousness.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben