#847: The Affective Life of Whiteness: Researcher Reflections on Professional Learning Interactions

This paper examines the racialized dynamics of teacher learning by attending to moments of tension, hesitation, and affective response in professional learning conversations in which race is explicitly named. Whiteness shapes the discursive and emotional terrain of teacher learning spaces – what feels safe, risky, or sayable. Whiteness exists at every level of conversation – often without being explicitly named, and is maintained through everyday interactions. We analyze moments where racial discourse faltered, shifted or was redirected, revealing how whiteness at work operates affectively, particularly through avoidance and discomfort. Our analysis positions research affect and identity as analytical tools, treating reflexivity as central to understanding the construction of whiteness at work in professional learning contexts.