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The American Campus
White Guys on Campus: Racism, White Immunity, and the Myth of "Post-Racial" Higher Education
Winner of the 2019 AERA Division J Outstanding Publication Award and the 2019 ASHE Outstanding Book Award
On April 22, 2015, Boston University professor Saida Grundy set off a Twitter storm with her provocative “Why is white America so reluctant to identify white college males as a problem population?” White Guys on Campus is a critical examination of race in higher education, centering Whiteness, in an effort to unveil the frequently unconscious habits of racism among White male undergraduates. Nolan L. Cabrera moves beyond the “few bad apples” frame of contemporary racism, and explores the structures, policies, ideologies, and experiences that allow racism to flourish. This book details many of the contours of contemporary, systemic racism, while engaging the possibility of White students to participate in anti-racism. Ultimately, White Guys on Campus calls upon institutions of higher education to be sites of social transformation instead of reinforcing systemic racism, while creating a platform to engage and challenge the public discourse of “post- racialism.”
On April 22, 2015, Boston University professor Saida Grundy set off a Twitter storm with her provocative “Why is white America so reluctant to identify white college males as a problem population?” White Guys on Campus is a critical examination of race in higher education, centering Whiteness, in an effort to unveil the frequently unconscious habits of racism among White male undergraduates. Nolan L. Cabrera moves beyond the “few bad apples” frame of contemporary racism, and explores the structures, policies, ideologies, and experiences that allow racism to flourish. This book details many of the contours of contemporary, systemic racism, while engaging the possibility of White students to participate in anti-racism. Ultimately, White Guys on Campus calls upon institutions of higher education to be sites of social transformation instead of reinforcing systemic racism, while creating a platform to engage and challenge the public discourse of “post- racialism.”
216 pages, Hardcover
Published November 15, 2018
8 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 28, 2023
"White Guys on Campus" by Nolan L. Cabrera is an essential exploration of racial dynamics in higher education, offering a critical examination of white male students' perspectives within the context of a purportedly post-racial society. Cabrera, deeply entrenched in the study of race and racism in education, provides an insightful and thorough analysis that serves as a significant call to action, particularly for those in the field of education.
Cabrera delves into the complex world of racial politics on college campuses, focusing on the attitudes and experiences of white male students. Through interviews and case studies, he uncovers themes like racial immunity, the misconception of 'reverse racism', and the dynamics of racist humor. The book effectively connects these individual attitudes to broader societal and campus cultures, offering a revealing look at the state of contemporary racial challenges.
The book's strength lies in its unflinching approach to discussing sensitive subjects. Cabrera's use of real student experiences, which I found to resonate with my own observations in the field of higher education, provides an authentic and grounded perspective. His detailed analysis of racial dynamics, particularly the exploration of 'white male racial immunity,' is both enlightening and challenging. The book's alignment with Arbinger's principles, particularly the concept of seeing people as people, adds depth to its analysis. Furthermore, its connection to broader societal issues makes it relevant not only to educators but to anyone interested in understanding contemporary racial issues.
However, Cabrera's insider perspective could be perceived as biased, and the book's self-acknowledged negative tone, attributed to the racist nature of the majority of the interviews, might be off-putting to some readers. Yet, rather than finding it negative, I found the book's tone necessarily uncomfortable, underlining the need for leaders to confront difficult issues with an attitude of learning and understanding, rather than fear or avoidance.
"White Guys on Campus" is an invaluable resource, and I highly recommend it for those in higher education who are striving to create more inclusive and equitable learning environments. This book, recommended to me by a math faculty chair, has significantly contributed to my understanding of the challenges we face in addressing racial issues within our industry. I firmly believe it's a must-read for educators, administrators, and students who are committed to understanding and actively participating in the journey towards social and racial justice.
#WhiteGuysOnCampus #NolanCabrera #RacialDynamics #HigherEducation #TheClarkCommunique #SocialJustice #DEI #LifelongLearning #EducationalEquity
Cabrera delves into the complex world of racial politics on college campuses, focusing on the attitudes and experiences of white male students. Through interviews and case studies, he uncovers themes like racial immunity, the misconception of 'reverse racism', and the dynamics of racist humor. The book effectively connects these individual attitudes to broader societal and campus cultures, offering a revealing look at the state of contemporary racial challenges.
The book's strength lies in its unflinching approach to discussing sensitive subjects. Cabrera's use of real student experiences, which I found to resonate with my own observations in the field of higher education, provides an authentic and grounded perspective. His detailed analysis of racial dynamics, particularly the exploration of 'white male racial immunity,' is both enlightening and challenging. The book's alignment with Arbinger's principles, particularly the concept of seeing people as people, adds depth to its analysis. Furthermore, its connection to broader societal issues makes it relevant not only to educators but to anyone interested in understanding contemporary racial issues.
However, Cabrera's insider perspective could be perceived as biased, and the book's self-acknowledged negative tone, attributed to the racist nature of the majority of the interviews, might be off-putting to some readers. Yet, rather than finding it negative, I found the book's tone necessarily uncomfortable, underlining the need for leaders to confront difficult issues with an attitude of learning and understanding, rather than fear or avoidance.
"White Guys on Campus" is an invaluable resource, and I highly recommend it for those in higher education who are striving to create more inclusive and equitable learning environments. This book, recommended to me by a math faculty chair, has significantly contributed to my understanding of the challenges we face in addressing racial issues within our industry. I firmly believe it's a must-read for educators, administrators, and students who are committed to understanding and actively participating in the journey towards social and racial justice.
#WhiteGuysOnCampus #NolanCabrera #RacialDynamics #HigherEducation #TheClarkCommunique #SocialJustice #DEI #LifelongLearning #EducationalEquity
January 4, 2020
Picked up this book because it won the book of the year award for the Association for the Study of Higher Education. It's definitely a necessary book as Cabrera noted in the book that the study of Whiteness can only fit on a bookshelf. I appreciate the direct and colloquial tone he uses, his references to popular books (e.g. JK Rowling's Harry Potter and quotes from James Baldwin's works) while still scaffolding his study on top of other great works of racial (e.g. DiAngelo's 2011 White Fragility and Helms 1990) and sociological works (e.g. Bonilla-Silva's 2006). He debunks the myth that we are living in a post-racial, color-blind society in Chapters 2-6 where he presents quotes from his interviews with White guys on campus. It's chilling to read these snippets from his interviews as many of these White guys have twisted realities of race, affirmative action, and even ethnic student organizations and culture centers on campus. Chapter 5 is the most bizarre example of White guys' imaginative racial realities as White guys at a selective West Coast university sincerely believed that their school practiced affirmative action even though it didn't. The interviews show that higher education institutions are still not doing enough to disrupt Whiteness on campus. Cabrera does attempt to offer some practical strategies to disrupt Whiteness including required year-long, structured diversity courses. Yet, he even admits this in the conclusion, his implications are still abstract and not quite tangible for higher ed admins and student affairs folks to enact practical change. Not the author's fault, but I also found a few proofreading errors, which is surprising for Rutgers University Press. Overall, I am appreciative that Cabrera took on this emotional and interdisciplinary project to provide insight on White racial identities. It's a necessary book for all working in higher ed and also for those studying racial identities in other disciplines.
April 4, 2020
Cabrera's research is important and necessary. If you're interested in issues related to race, even if you're not necessarily interested in higher education, this is an excellent read. It's a great book to read after Robin DiAngelo's "White Fragility" or alongside Ibram X. Kendi's work, both of whom are frequently cited in Cabrera's text. The writing is easy to comprehend, and it's not a dense text; however, it's a difficult book to read in terms of topic. It's hard to read some of the direct quotes from the White guys who don't realize they are racist...and they are so incredibly racist.
Cabrera draws from student populations at two different schools, and the irony of the responses from these two groups is astounding. The students at a school that doesn't practice affirmative action feel victimized by race-conscious policies, and the students at a school that does practice affirmative action do not feel as strongly about race-conscious policies. The difference between all of these students' perceptions and the reality before them is really quite shocking.
Cabrera calls on higher education to take large-scale actions to combat systemic racism. There are substantive calls to action at the end of this book, which is necessary and much appreciated. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in race relations, social justice, and issues of equity in education.
Cabrera draws from student populations at two different schools, and the irony of the responses from these two groups is astounding. The students at a school that doesn't practice affirmative action feel victimized by race-conscious policies, and the students at a school that does practice affirmative action do not feel as strongly about race-conscious policies. The difference between all of these students' perceptions and the reality before them is really quite shocking.
Cabrera calls on higher education to take large-scale actions to combat systemic racism. There are substantive calls to action at the end of this book, which is necessary and much appreciated. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in race relations, social justice, and issues of equity in education.
April 17, 2019
Dr. Cabrera drops truth bombs, new (and more effective) racial justice terminology, and loads of research in this lean and incisive look at "White Guys" on campus. The best summary comes in the conclusion: "I am not particularly interested in the narratives of White men in and of themselves... Instead, I am concerned about White men because their racial ignorance and their racial arrested development become a foundation for the marginalization of Students of Color on colleges campuses and society at large. That is, I worry about White guys on campus because of how their actions affect other Students of Color and the contemporary color line." This one is really important, especially in Trump's America - I urge you to hold your nose and dive in.
July 8, 2025
I found this book very interesting Perhaps because I once was, and in some ways can still be, the kind of man it interviewed in the book. I remember believing that unity should come before diversity, and that colorblindness was the ideal approach.
Since then, I have learned a great deal. Reading this was uncomfortable at times, as it held up a mirror to a version of myself I have worked to outgrow.
While I enjoyed the book, I am left wanting to understand more: why do so many white college men share these views, and how we might reshape their education before, during, and after college? When I reflect on my own life, I cannot pinpoint exactly how, when, or why I changed. I only know that I did.
This is a powerful and important book. I highly recommend it.
Since then, I have learned a great deal. Reading this was uncomfortable at times, as it held up a mirror to a version of myself I have worked to outgrow.
While I enjoyed the book, I am left wanting to understand more: why do so many white college men share these views, and how we might reshape their education before, during, and after college? When I reflect on my own life, I cannot pinpoint exactly how, when, or why I changed. I only know that I did.
This is a powerful and important book. I highly recommend it.
July 10, 2023
Fantastic book. In the wake of the affirmative action ruling I wanted to read something that would help me understand the opposition so many people have to these policies, and Cabrera delivered. Additionally, I think I learned a bit about myself, and my own “arrested development “as he describes it.
The author is right that we have to face these issues and that “there is nothing less than our collective salvation at stake”
The author is right that we have to face these issues and that “there is nothing less than our collective salvation at stake”
March 12, 2020
This is what good, effective, academic writing around issues of social justice should be: accessible and no sugar coating. Well written and well argued, I would absolutely recommend to everyone. EVERYONE. Looking forward to assigning it.
April 11, 2020
Read as part of EdD program. Particularly good explanation and examples of the concept of reverse racism and white immunity, and how these further identify a foundation and consistent cycle of inequities and racism in higher education.
January 5, 2022
Anger inducing, interesting, annoying. I do recommend, but I wonder why critical race theory was not specifically discussed especially in conversations about affirmative action where it was applied and was not applied even though participants erroneously thought it was being applied.
March 9, 2021
Super repetitive. Could have said it all in a third of this. Very interesting even considering the unnecessarily repetitions.
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June 16, 2021Cabrera does a fantastic job dissecting white males on campus. It was frustrating to read about their accounts and complete misguidance about their white immunity.
July 8, 2022
I am a slow reader, so I always start reading my textbooks before the semester begins. As I was reading; Dr. Nolan Cabrera's book. White Guys on Campus: Racism, White Immunity, and the Myth of "Post-Racial: Higher Education as part of the Master's Program in Higher Education Administration at Sam Houston State University - Course Number: HIED6367 Diverse Student Population taught by Dr. Paul Eaton. I noticed that the author uses the term "Whiteness Studies" to describe a concept that I had noticed for years growing up in a whitewashed world. However, I never had a term to describe what I noticed in the world around me. This book gives terminology that is essential to understand. It also talks about a difficult conversation in an amazing way that everyone can understand. My favorite quote of the book is when Dr. Cabrera states that "these narratives are about the potential for those in the racial majority to be part of creating a racially more just, and equitable future"(Nolan León Cabrera, 2019, p.143). It is a must-read for anyone interested in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work.
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April 12, 2019379.26097 C1177 2019
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews