The Gaslighting of a Nation: Emotions as the Institutional Work of Whiteness, Patriarchy, and Elitism

Abstract

This article introduces the concept of emotions as institutional work and examines how anger, fear, and apathy are strategically mobilized within organizations and society to sustain whiteness, patriarchy, and elitism. Through illustrative cases involving backlash against prominent Black women leaders—including Dr. Claudine Gay, Kamala Harris, and Nikole Hannah-Jones—I highlight how institutional gaslighting, defined as emotional manipulation deployed to distort reality, is weaponized through emotions to uphold entrenched power structures, marginalize racioethnic communities, and dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Organizational responses to DEI are categorized into three approaches: equity-driven, compliance-driven, and actively resistant. The article concludes with a call to action, urging corporate, nonprofit, and philanthropy leaders to recognize and disrupt institutional gaslighting through courageous, emotionally intelligent, and accountability-driven leadership strategies that center intersectionality and embed DEI into institutional practices.