Date of Award
5-2009
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Program
Sociology
Department
Sociology
Major Professor
Baxter, Vern
Second Advisor
Allen, H. David
Third Advisor
Jenkins, Pamela
Abstract
Skin tone variation within American black communities has long been associated with intraracial stratification. Data from the National Survey of Black Americans (NSBA) indicate that lighter-skinned blacks – net of such factors as region of residence, age, and sex – consistently have higher levels of nearly every socioeconomic indicator including educational attainment, personal and family income, and perceived physical attractiveness when compared to their darker counterparts. What does this color caste system mean for the personal identities and emotional experiences of dark-skinned blacks in America? Using data from the NSBA and six interviews with dark-skinned blacks, I set forth social psychological implications of a phenotypically stratified subgroup in the United States.
Recommended Citation
Morris, Brian Kenneth, "Perceptions of Complexions: Consciousness and Self-Identification Among Dark-Skinned Blacks" (2009). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 959.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/959
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.