Color Stories

Black Women and Colorism in the 21st Century

JeffriAnne Wilder

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN:
  9781440831096
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9798216063056
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: African American Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

This book offers an in-depth sociological exploration of present-day colorism in the lives of black women, investigating the lived experiences of a phenomenon that continues to affect women of African descent.

Race still matters. And for black women, the related issues of skin tone are just as important today as in decades past. Part cultural commentary, part empirical analysis, this book offers a compelling study and discussion of colorism—a widely discussed but understudied issue in "post-racial" America—that demonstrates how powerful a factor skin color remains in the everyday lives of young black women. Author JeffriAnne Wilder conducted interviews with dozens of young black women about the role of colorism in their everyday lives. Collectively, these findings offer a compelling empirical and theoretical analysis of colorism in key areas of 21st-century life, including within family and school settings, in the media, and in intimate relationships.

The culmination of nearly two decades of the author's deep entrenchment in colorism studies, Color Stories: Black Women and Colorism in the 21st Century provides a new perspective on a controversial issue that has been a part of black culture and academic study for generations by exploring how the contemporary nature of colorism—from Facebook to the First Lady to Beyoncé—impacts the ideas and experiences of black women. This work serves as essential reading for anyone interested in learning more about the historical and contemporary significance of colorism in modern-day America, regardless of the reader's race, sex, or age.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Recent Titles
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Series Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Introduction: The Continuing Significance of Colorism in the 21st Century
• Chapter 1 Breaking Silence and Going Public: Shaming, Naming, and Circulating Truth
• Chapter 2 Understanding “Everyday Colorism”: Theoretical Considerations
• Chapter 3 The Language, Scripts, and Practices of Everyday Colorism
• Chapter 4 Getting to the Roots of Colorism: Family, School, Dating, and Relationships
• Chapter 5 Place Matters: The Counter-Narratives of Everyday Colorism
• Conclusion: If the Present Looks Like the Past, What Does the Future Look Like?
• Appendix: Participant Characteristics by Skin Tone, Ethnicity/Home State, and Age
• Notes
• Index
• About the Author