Research Highlights
Displacing the burden of representation: Engaging with critical Whiteness to expand the theory of representative bureaucracy
The theory of representative bureaucracy has provided an important yet limited framework for understanding exclusion in the public sector. This theoretical paper engages with critical approaches to argue for an expanded theory that centers social equity. Close attention to the relationship between the public and nonprofit sectors illuminates how public institutions protect and reproduce White, masculine space by shifting the burden of representation onto racially minoritized public administrators and community-based nonprofit organizations led by and for people of color. An expanded theory will (1) advance an understanding of both sectors as institutional spaces that protect Whiteness and impede full representation and (2) recognize the importance of the labor required to counter inequities and actively represent minoritized constituents.
Citation: Feit. M. E. (2024). Displacing the burden of representation: Engaging with critical Whiteness to expand the theory of representative bureaucracy. Administrative Theory & Praxis. DOI: 10.1080/10841806.2024.2304535​
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If you do not have access via your institution, you can download the Eprint here.
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The racialization of philanthropic and nonprofit organizations: Applying a critical analysis to confront white supremacy and economic injustice in the sector.
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Philanthropic organizations, and the nonprofits that rely on philanthropic giving, are built upon a vast and persistent racial wealth gap in the United States. In this chapter, we call for intentional and sustained attention to intersections of race and class in the dynamics between organized philanthropy and nonprofit organizations. Combining scholarship on elite philanthropy with critical theories of structural racism, we argue that systems of unearned white advantage have simultaneously fueled organized philanthropy and muted the philanthropic contributions of communities of color. We examine how interactions between organized philanthropy and nonprofits facilitate the racialization of these organizations as spaces that center the interests of white donors and encourage the reproduction and reinforcement of racial inequality in core functions of nonprofits. Finally, we consider the implications of the perpetuation of white supremacy in the sector and offer avenues for transformation in policy, research, and practice.
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Citation: Logan, A. & Feit, M. (2024). The racialization of philanthropic and nonprofit organizations: Applying a critical analysis to confront white supremacy & economic injustice in the sector. In R. Mirabella, T. Coule, & A. Eikenberry (Eds). Handbook of critical perspectives on nonprofit organizing and voluntary action: Concepts, applications, and future directions. Edward Elgar Publishing. DOI: 10.4337/9781800371811.00013.
Academic Publications
Logan, A. & Feit, M. (2024). The racialization of philanthropic and nonprofit organizations: Applying a critical analysis to confront white supremacy & economic injustice in the sector. In R. Mirabella, T. Coule, & A. Eikenberry (Eds). Handbook of critical perspectives on nonprofit organizing and voluntary action: Concepts, applications, and future directions. Edward Elgar Publishing. DOI: 10.4337/9781800371811.00013. [Preprint]
Feit, M. E. (2024). Displacing the burden of representation: Engaging with critical whiteness to expand the theory of representative bureaucracy. Administrative Theory & Praxis. DOI: 10.1080/10841806.2024.2304535
Feit, M. E. (In press). Advancing racial equity in and between organizations: A critical race lens on nonprofit human resource practice. In A. M. Eikenberry, R. M. Mirabella & B. Sandberg (Eds.). Reframing nonprofit organizations: Democracy, inclusion, and social change, 2nd Ed. [Preprint]
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Feit, M. E. & Sandberg, B. (2022). The dissonance of ‘doing good:’ Fostering critical pedagogy to challenge the selective tradition of nonprofit management education. Public Integrity, 24(4-5). https://doi.org/10.1080/10999922.2022.2034341
Mirabella, R., Feit, M. E., & Logan, A. (2022). Reimagining the future of the nonprofit sector. In N. Dolch & R. Mirabella (Eds.). Social change and management. Sagamore, Venture Nonprofit Book Series.
Mirabella, R., Nguyen, K., & Feit, M. E. (2022). Critical pedagogy and nonprofit management education: Refocusing our classrooms towards transformation and liberation. In W. Brown & M. Hale. Preparing leaders of nonprofit organizations. Rutgers.
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Feit, M. E., Philips, J. B. and Coats, T. (2021). Tightrope of advocacy: Critical race methods as a lens on nonprofit mediation between fear and trust in the U.S. Census. Administrative Theory & Praxis, 44(1), 23-45.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10841806.2021.1944586
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Feit, M. E. (2018). Addressing racial bias in nonprofit human resources. In A. M. Eikenberry, R. M. Mirabella & B. Sandberg (Eds.). Reframing nonprofit organizations: Democracy, inclusion, and social change (66-75). Irvine, CA.: Melvin & Leigh.
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Feit, M. E., Blalock, A. E., & Nguyen, K. (2017). Making diversity count: Critical race theory as a lens on the present and future of nonprofit education. Journal of Nonprofit Education & Leadership, 7(SI1).
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Public Reports
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Feit, M. & Philips, J. (2021) Walking a tightrope of advocacy: Community organizations as mediators between voter suppression and voter participation. [Invited commentary for the 2021 ARNOVA/Independent Sector Symposium on Public Policy for Nonprofits and Philanthropy.]
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Feit, M. E., Philips, J. & Coats, T. (2021) Bridge to democracy: Community organizations & US Census 2020.
Feit, M. E. & Kawai, A. (2019). You cannot pick up spilled water: Report on the Seattle Housing Authority & Seattle University Center for Community Engagement Collaborative.
Haberman, A., Knotz, S. & Feit, M. E. (2014). Vision and voice: The role of leadership and dialogue in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. D5 Coalition.
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