As youngsters, my sister and I used to read to each other the novels of Dennis Wheatley. (I guess we read them with the kind of doublethink that Chinua Achebe describes before he realised that he was the savage on the banks of the river in those Joseph Conrad novels.) But the occult-themed ones took a lot from Indian or Hindu beliefs about the meaning of skin colour as regards one's progress on the spiritual journey through many reincarnations, where the darker the skin, the longer the journey ahead of you, while the lighter the skin, the closer one was to whatever it is that the end of the journey of the human soul was on - Nirvana? Their caste system is based partly on the idea that a Brahmin has lighter skin than the lowest castes. So I believe there may be other roots to the lighter skin = better human being idea besides colonialism and slavery. (Mind you, to the colonisers, the Indians were all "blacks").
In this part of the world however, the skin colour issue is at least as much an aesthetic one, and if I compare it to the obsession of other races with blonde hair, it is because where most are dark, what is light stands out. The converse ought to be true, but it is the same races who have fetishised their light skin (by way of providing themselves with a justification for slavery & colonialism) who would be the ones amongst whom dark skin would stand out.
It is true that if one works in the open as a peasant or manual labourer, one is likely to be darker, and thus skin that was not sunburned or suntanned may have been the mark of the leisured classes whose ladies could delicately shield themselves from the sun. Conversely, when the industrial revolution took workers out of the fields and into factories where the working classes saw little sun, and became stunted, sickly and pale because of the long factory hours the idea of a suntan as a mark of leisure and status may have taken hold. I don't know. But I don't find convincing the equivalence sought to be drawn between oyinbo liking for tanned skin and some supposed acceptance of black as beautiful, or more importantly, as equal. In societies where skin colour defined social status, lighter skin could mean wanting to be white, but a Nigerian woman who bleaches her skin is not 'trying to be white' as a declaration of racial self-hatred. She's just 'going blonde'. Nor do I find the liking of African or black women in Nigeria for straightened hair, weaves or attachments to be evidence of 'wanting to be white' per se. People just like to do stuff with their hair.
Ayo
Ayo
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Culture marks difference but it more importantly imbibes values and resultantly informs thought and attitude, both of which help to shape perception of and behavior toward others. Power and wealth may be important but it is not all the time that they advance social status. In Great Britain for example, breeding thumps wealth as a proximate determinant of social status. A "poor" aristocrat has higher society standing than a wealthy commoner. Old money is more prestigious than new money. Poor white people in the deep south of the U.S. believe themselves to be superior to more affluent minorities. In many cases, the system continues to encourage them to continue to so believe.
Slavery and colonization have taken a heavy toll on the darker skinned people of the world. Together they helped to infuse cultural arrogance, superiority, and entitlement in minds of enslavers and colonialists. Skin color became synonymous with racial difference, consequent superiority or inferiority, and collateral advantage or disadvantage. History has not been kind enough to darker skinned people. It was said in 2007/8 for example that the U.S. was not ready for a black president. While one may only imagine what was meant by that statement, we now know that the statement was a ruse and untrue.
Times indeed are changing but not quickly enough to undo the many damages that dark skinned people of the world have endured and in many cases continue to endure.
oa
-----Original Message-----
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of kenneth harrow
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 10:07 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - RE: white smoke, white pope
it isn't the color that is the issue: obviously this has changed over time, like tan as the marker for beauty and whiteness with the rise of the bourgeoisie in the 18th century, and will continue to change. it is the association between black people and their status. the link to slavery and race, both in the arab world and the west, make black a synonym for race, even when it wasn't really the color. so, as black status changes in a community, so too does this color marker of status.
but it makes little sense to limit this issue of markers of high status and low only to race or racial markers. class functions there as well, and the markers of class, in speech and dress and education, also create superior and inferior capitol. it is easy enough to see this within our lifetimes as the status of blacks in america has changed and attitudes conveying that status have changed enormously. not that the prejudice is gone, but it is enormously different from what it was say 60 years ago.
i don't see culture then as the determinant of status; culture marks difference, and with difference values of superior or inferior can be created. but the status linked to power and wealth seems to me more relevant.
ken
On 3/13/13 9:13 PM, Emeagwali, Gloria (History) wrote:'was there ever a time when one group did not think it was superior toanother?'I am assuming that this is a real question and not a diversionarytactic -so let me give it a shot.A theoretical distinction should be made between sentiments ofsuperioritybased on culture and those based on race, whiteness and the absenceof melanin. On the average, over time and space, the crucialdeterminantfor many groups seemed to have been culture.A shift to 'tanner' is not a sign of progress. It is an insult topeople of ebony/ dark skin tones. The implication is that they haveto 'lighten up' to'catch up' with the "brown latinos". If this is not pigmentationaleugenics,what is?Professor Gloria EmeagwaliProf. of History & African StudiesHistory DepartmentCentral Connecticut State UniversityNew BritainCT 06050africahistory.netvimeo.com/user5946750/videosDocumentaries on Africa and the African Diaspora________________________________________From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com[usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of kenneth harrow[harrow@msu.edu]Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 7:36 PMTo: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.comSubject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - RE: white smoke, white popewas there ever a time when one group did not think it was superior toanother?as for whiteness, and female beauty, hasn't there been a shift in thedirection of tanner, closer to darker? don't you think that trend willcontinue as the u.s. gets more hispanic/latino? as the global northyields more to the global south?kenOn 3/13/13 6:56 PM, Emeagwali, Gloria (History) wrote:..."it seems axiomatic since 1800 that the lighter the skin color,regardless of region and heritage, the more acceptable andcomfortable ....."KissiIt's all about white supremacist megalomania and pigmentational eugenics-mental disorders and symptoms of the psychologically depraved.But why 1800?I would go back to 1492.Gloria-----Original Message-----From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com[mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Kissi,EdwardSent: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 4:39 PMTo: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.comSubject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - RE: white smoke, white popeI would add, Gloria, that it seems axiomatic since 1800 that the lighter the skin color, regardless of region and heritage, the more acceptable and comfortable; the darker the skin hue, however, the more visually unpleasant and internally uncomfortable.... Even this is true to men of faith. Behold, the verities of Blackness! We will be back to this discussion again, the next time a Pope is needed. Until then, Adieu!!Edward Kissi-----Original Message-----From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com[mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Emeagwali,Gloria (History)Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 3:16 PMTo: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.comSubject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - white smoke, white popewhite smoke, white popeblack smoke, no deal.Welcome to the new pope:Jorge Bergoglio of ArgentinaProfessor Gloria EmeagwaliProf. of History & African StudiesHistory DepartmentCentral Connecticut State UniversityNew BritainCT 06050www.africahistory.net<http://www.africahistory.net/>www.vimeo.com/user5946750/videos<http://www.vimeo.com/user5946750/videos> Documentaries on Africa and the African Diaspora--kenneth w. harrowfaculty excellence advocatedistinguished professor of englishmichigan state universitydepartment of english619 red cedar roadroom C-614 wells halleast lansing, mi 48824ph. 517 803 8839harrow@msu.edu--You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogueFor previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.htmlTo post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.comTo unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com---You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
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kenneth w. harrow
faculty excellence advocate
distinguished professor of english
michigan state university
department of english
619 red cedar road
room C-614 wells hall
east lansing, mi 48824
ph. 517 803 8839
harrow@msu.edu
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