Between Black and White: An Exploratory Investigation of Biracialism in the United States and South Africa |
McNair Scholars Journal
Volume 11, Issue 1 (2007)
Article 7
Whitney Laster
Grand Valley State University
The United States and South Africa both endured periods of intense racism produced from rigid social hierarchies. While European populations controlled these institutions, black populations remained marginalized. Critical race theory proposes that race is socially constructed as opposed to inherently biological. Although social construction of the white and black ethnicities formed similarly, the development of the mixing of white and black into biracial peoples developed uniquely in each country. This study will apply concepts from critical race theory to analyze similarities and differences within the constructions, highlighting the elements of colonization, slavery, and de facto segregation and investigating the effects on the social identity.
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Tags: McNair Scholars Journal, South Africa, Whitney Laster