Meaning & use
whitewashing race
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Meanings
noununcountabledisapproving
the practice of casting white actors in roles written for people of other races, or of presenting history as if it were mainly white.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun phrase: 'Whitewashing race in Hollywood is a problem.' Not 'a whitewashing race'.
Patterns
- whitewashing race in something
- the whitewashing of race in something
The film was criticized for whitewashing race by giving the lead role to a white actress.
The documentary examines the whitewashing of race in textbooks, which often leave out the contributions of minority groups.
noununcountabledisapproving
the act of making a racial group or racial issue seem less important or less present than it really is.
Grammar: Often followed by 'in' plus a place or activity: 'whitewashing race in the media'.
Patterns
- whitewashing race in something
- accusations of whitewashing race
The company was accused of whitewashing race by ignoring complaints from Black employees.
Some say the new law is a form of whitewashing race because it bans teaching about systemic racism.
Common combinations
- accusations of whitewashing race
- The studio faced accusations of whitewashing race after releasing the trailer.
- whitewashing race in Hollywood
- Whitewashing race in Hollywood has a long history, from early films to recent blockbusters.
- the whitewashing of race in education
- The report criticized the whitewashing of race in education, saying students learn a one-sided history.
- racial whitewashing
- Racial whitewashing happens when a character's race is changed to white in an adaptation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- racial erasure
- This is broader: it means making a racial group invisible in any context, not just in casting or history.
- tokenism
- Tokenism means including a small number of minority people to appear inclusive, rather than fully whitewashing; it is almost the opposite problem.
Word family
- whitewash verb
- To cast white actors in non-white roles, or to hide unpleasant facts about race.
- whitewasher noun
- A person or company that whitewashes race.
Commonly confused: whitewashing race or whitewash?
whitewashing race vs whitewash
As a verb, 'whitewash' can mean to cover up mistakes or paint something white; 'whitewashing race' is specifically about race and representation.
Practice
The movie was accused of ______ because it cast a white actor as a character who was originally Asian.
Choose one answer.
'Whitewashing race' is the correct uncountable phrase. 'Whitewashing races' is wrong because the term is not pluralized; 'a whitewashing race' is wrong because it is uncountable; 'whitewash race' is a verb form that does not fit after 'of'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “whitewashing race”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.