pigmentocracy - a group-based social hierarchy based largely on human skin color, spanning across ethnic, religious, gender, and socio-economic groups.Explanation: the British Empire imported labourers (from British India) to the British colonies in Africa and the Caribbean. These Indian labourers were free, had more rights and had better societal functions and status than the darker-skinned Africans (who were mostly slaves), but less than the lighter-skinned European colonizers.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hypodescent - the practice of determining the lineage of a child of mixed race ancestry by assigning the child the race of his or her more socially subordinate parent.
Because recent history shows Caucasians being socially dominant in the Western world, mixed race children are most commonly assigned to their non-Caucasian parent.
However when two non-Caucasian parents have a child, the child is typically not assigned to either race. Although mulattos and Blasians are both half Black, only the former are generally perceived as Black, while Blasians such as Tiger Woods are not forced to self-identify as Black.
What do you think of these words?
Text Attribution: Wikipedia
7 comments:
I first learned the word pigmentocracy when reading Don’t Play in the Sun by Marita Golden. The word really puts colorism into perspective...it's not just about skin color preference in choosing a mate or friends, there's a unique economic and political aspect to it that goes back centuries.
Two new words to my noggin. Thank you MDC.
Great--two new words to use! Thanks.
Nicole,
There are so many things to do with race that remain obscure. The more I learn the more I'm amazed.
_____________________________________
Lady Di & NBW,
You are very welcome! :)
___________________________________
___________________________________
DMB,
It's very true and the history of the so-called one drop rule is really interesting.
i didn't know both terms so far, so thank you very much for enriching my vocabulary - although i will not going to use them...
i don't like the institutions' need to classify and categorize anything and anyone... it can be dangerous:
i'm still aghast about Rwanda's genocide between Tutsis and Hutus - they originally were no different ethnic groups, but colonialists thought it a good idea to split the population in people with more than five cattle and less than five cattle (do you say 'pieces of cattle'?), so there you go!
when i read the definition of 'hypodescent' i at once thought of Richard Roth's: 'The Human Stain' where the protagonist is able to disguise is 'hypodescent' determination because his physical appearance is Caucasian - ironically he later loses his profession by being accused to be a racist...
Kayoz,
Wow I didn't know the those two groups in Rwanda were origionally of one group. That's is really interesting.
And yes I think they say pieces of cattle here.
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Post a Comment