Internalized racism

Internalized racism is defined by sociologist Karen D. Pyke as the "internalization of racial oppression by the racially subordinated.”[1] In her study The Psychology of Racism, Robin Nicole Johnson emphasizes that internalized racism involves both "conscious and unconscious acceptance of a racial hierarchy in which whites are consistently ranked above People of Color."[2] These definitions encompass a wide range of instances, including, but not limited to, belief in negative racial stereotypes, adaptations to white cultural standards, and thinking that supports the status quo (i.e. denying that racism exists).[3]

Internalized racism as a phenomenon is a direct product of a racial classification system, and is found across different racial groups and regions around the world where race exists as a social construct.[1] In these places, internalized racism can have adverse effects on those who experience it. For example, high internalized racism scores have been linked to poor health outcomes among Caribbean black women, higher propensity for violence among African American young males, and increased domestic violence among Native American populations in the US.[4][5][6]

Responses to internalized racism have been varied. The 'black is beautiful' cultural movement sought to fight the internalized racism experienced by African Americans specifically with regard to beauty standards.

Terminology and Classification

Although some definitions of internalized racism confine themselves to the instances in which racial stereotypes are internalized by the racial marginalized groups, internalized racism has been used to discuss much more than this.[7] The creators of the Appropriated Racial Oppression Scale (AROS) note that perhaps a more accurate phrase would be "appropriated racial oppression," because this distances the usage away from potentially "victim blaming" implications that the internalization of racist ideals and attitudes is due to some failure of the oppressed.[8] Additionally, the term "appropriation" indicates that internalized racism is learned from context, and therefore a product of socialization in a racialized society.

Internalized racism has also been referred to as indoctrination and mental colonization.[1] These phrases draw attention to the historical context of colonialism being used to create and maintain a system of white superiority.

Dimensions of Internalized Racism

Scholars have picked different dimensions with which to describe how internalized racism occurs. Psychologists David and Okazaki proposed that internalized racism could be categorized into the following five manifestations: internalized inferiority, feelings of shame and embarrassment, physical characteristics, within-group discrimination, and minimization or acceptance of oppression.[9]

The creators of the AROS modified these categories to create five dimensions: appropriations of negative stereotypes, thinking that maintains status quo (denying racism), adaptation to white cultural standards, devaluation of own group, and emotional reactions.[3]

Measures of Internalized Racism

Out of the dimensions described above, academics have attempted to create reliable measures of internalized racism, in order to test its correlation to health outcomes and other variables of interest. Some examples of existing scales are the Nadanolitization (NAD) and Internalized Racial Oppression Scales (used for Black Americans), the Colonial Mentality scale (used for Filipinos), and the Mochichua Tepehuani Scale (used for Chicanx/Latinx populations).[5][3]

The creators of the Appropriated Racial Oppression Scale (AROS) argue that the effects of racism are not unique between racial groups, and therefore present their seventy point scale as a measure across all racial minorities.

Studies

An empirical example of internalized racism is Kenneth and Mamie Clark's doll experiment, which was done in America at a time when black and white children were segregated. It involved an African-American child being presented with two dolls that were identical apart from skin and hair color, one doll being white with yellow hair and the other being brown with black hair. The child was asked which doll they would prefer to play with and why. All children in the study expressed a clear preference for the white doll.[10]

In 2006 Kiri Davis recreated the experiment with 21 African-American preschool children for her documentary A Girl Like Me. Davis found that 15 of the children chose white dolls over black dolls, giving similar reasons as the original study subjects that associated white with "pretty" or "good" and black with "ugly" or "bad".[11]

In Black Feminist Thought, Patricia Hill Collins notes that portraying the range of ways that African-American women experience internalized oppression has been a prominent theme in Black women’s writing.' An example of this is Toni Morrison's first novel The Bluest Eye, which features Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl who believes she is ugly and wants nothing more than to have the blue eyes associated with the white standard of beauty. Collins adds that her mother Pauline 'typifies the internalization of the mammy image', neglecting her own children and focusing her attention on the white children in her care, and that 'only by accepting this subordinate role to White children could she, as a poor Black woman, see a positive place for herself.'

Chris Rock's 2009 documentary Good Hair is about the history of how African-American women have perceived and styled their hair, and how they collectively spend billions of dollars to have hair that more closely resembles white hair. Rock says that he was inspired to make the film after his 3-year-old daughter asked him 'Daddy, how come I don't have good hair?', 'good hair' meaning straight hair, not tightly curled like the hair type of many people of African descent.

On the Adult Swim show The Boondocks, a character named Uncle Ruckus is another example of an African-American who hates his own culture, and worships the white one.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pyke, Karen D. (December 2010). "What is Internalized Racial Oppression and Why Don't We Study It? Acknowledging Racism's Hidden Injuries". Sociological Perspectives. 53 (4): 551–572. doi:10.1525/sop.2010.53.4.551.
  2. ↑ Robin Nicole Johnson The Psychology of Racism: How Internalized Racism, Academic Self-concept, and Campus Racial Climate Impact the Academic Experiences and Achievement of African American Undergraduates
  3. 1 2 3 Campón, Rebecca Rangel; Carter, Robert T. (2015). "The Appropriated Racial Oppression Scale: Development and preliminary validation". Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. 21 (4): 497–506. doi:10.1037/cdp0000037.
  4. ↑ Mouzon, Dawne M.; McLean, Jamila S. (28 June 2016). "Internalized racism and mental health among African-Americans, US-born Caribbean Blacks, and foreign-born Caribbean Blacks". Ethnicity & Health. 22 (1): 36–48. doi:10.1080/13557858.2016.1196652.
  5. 1 2 Bryant, Wesley W. (2011). "Internalized Racism's Association With African American Male Youth's Propensity for Violence". Journal of Black Studies. 42 (4): 690–707.
  6. ↑ Poupart, Lisa M. (2003). "The Familiar Face of Genocide: Internalized Oppression among American Indians". Hypatia. 18 (2): 86–100.
  7. ↑ Valenzuela, Angela (2010). "Chapter 8: Uncovering Internalized Oppression". Counterpoints. 356: 77–83.
  8. ↑ Campón, Rebecca Rangel; Carter, Robert T. (2015). "The Appropriated Racial Oppression Scale: Development and preliminary validation". Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. 21 (4): 497–506. doi:10.1037/cdp0000037. ISSN 1939-0106.
  9. ↑ Garcia, Gabriel M.; David, E. J. R.; Mapaye, Joy C. (2018-07-23). "Internalized racial oppression as a moderator of the relationship between experiences of racial discrimination and mental distress among Asians and Pacific Islanders". Asian American Journal of Psychology. doi:10.1037/aap0000124. ISSN 1948-1993.
  10. ↑ "Segregation Ruled Unequal, and Therefore Unconstitutional". Apa.org. 2003-05-28. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  11. ↑ "Documentary, studies renew debate about skin color's impact - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Post-gazette.com. 2006-12-26. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
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