Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice
Abstract
The article argues that whiteness operates as a socially and legally constructed monstrosity, perpetuating systemic inequality and destructive power through both intentional and nonintentional mechanisms. By employing monster theory, the analysis reveals how whiteness adapts and evolves to maintain its dominance, often through legal frameworks that obscure its harmful effects. The Supreme Court's decision in Plyler v. Doe, while advancing justice in some aspects, also exemplifies how the law can perpetuate inequality by overlooking historical and social contexts.
Disciplines
Civil Rights and Discrimination | Criminal Law | Criminal Procedure | Law | Sexuality and the Law
Recommended Citation
Steven Sacco,
White Monsters: Understanding Whiteness as Social and Legal Monstrosity,
31
Cardozo J. Equal Rts. & Soc. Just.
1
(2024).
Available at:
https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cardozoersj/vol31/iss1/3
Included in
Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Criminal Law Commons, Criminal Procedure Commons, Sexuality and the Law Commons