Facing Black Pete: An analysis of the Dutch controversy surrounding the folklore character of 'Black Pete'.

Abstract

In this thesis I analyze the phenomenon Black Pete in relation to whiteness. I interviewed white Dutch people about the controversy surrounding this racist character. When I started this research (in 2016), I interviewed four people about the character of Black Pete, and I talked to them again in 2020. My goal was to see what would happen if I asked liberal minded white Dutch people to talk about whether or not Black Pete is racist. Then I wanted to see how our experiences can be explained with the help of the concept ‘whiteness’ and the corollary concepts of white privilege and white innocence. In this thesis I will show how liberal white people actually take part in racism. I will subsequently suggest how this analysis can be used to create possibilities for structural change.