Beyond White Mindfulness: Critical Perspectives on Racism, Well-Being and Liberation

Beyond White Mindfulness: Critical Perspectives on Racism, Well-being, and Liberation brings together interdisciplinary perspectives on mind-body interventions, group-based identities, and social justice. Marshalling both empirical data and theoretical approaches, the book examines a broad range of questions related to mindfulness, meditation, and diverse communities.

While there is growing public interest in mind-body health, holistic wellness, and contemplative practice, critical research examining on these topics featuring minority perspectives and experiences is relatively rare. This book draws on cutting edge insights from psychology, sociology, gender, and, critical race theory to fill this void. Major themes include culture, identity, and awareness; intersectional approaches to the study of mindfulness and minority stress; cultural competence in developing and teaching mindfulness-based health interventions, and the complex relationships between mindfulness, inequality, and social justice.

The first book of its kind to bring together scholarly and personal reflections on mindfulness for diverse populations, Beyond White Mindfulness offers social science students and practitioners in this area a new perspective on mindfulness and suggestions for future scholarship.

Veronica Womack is a mindfulness scholar and equity consultant as well as a social psychologist and researcher at Northwestern University whose work centers on inclusive teaching, identity-related stressors, and mindfulness.

Crystal Marie Fleming is Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies and Associate Faculty in the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Stony Brook University.

Jeffrey Proulx is the Associate Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University. He is also a faculty member in the school of Public Health, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Contemplative Studies, and Native American and Indigenous Studies at Brown.