A Call to Action: The Need for a Cultural Psychological Approach to Discrimination on the Basis of Skin Color in Asia

Abstract

<jats:p> A strong preference for fair skin appears to be the norm across the Asian continent and may pervade many aspects of social life. Yet scholarly work on this ubiquitous phenomenon is rare within psychological science. This article is a call for a psychological investigation into colorism in Asia. I argue that colorism has firm systemic roots as a result of the sociohistorical trajectories of different Asian societies that have attached cultural meanings to skin color. Consequently, similarities and differences in such trajectories may account for variability in the expression of colorism within contemporary Asian societies. Directions for a cultural psychological approach to colorism are suggested. </jats:p>

Acknowledging Anti‐Blackness, Overlooking Anti‐Asian Racism: Missed Developmental Opportunities for Chinese American Youth

“…Anti-racism among Chinese Americans requires intentional efforts to address internalized racism and anti-Blackness within the Asian American community (Hwang, 2021). Given that White supremacy structures certain privileges based on perceived phenotypic features, it also includes confronting colorism-or preference for fairer over darker skin tones-which is deeply rooted in Chinese culture 1 and intertwined with existing anti-Black sentiments (Bettache, 2020;Hunter, 2007). These complexities have yet to be fully considered in the theorizing of adolescent sociopolitical development, but likely have significant implications for how youth understand racism, relate to racial oppression, and engage with anti-racism.…”

Confronting Racism in Pain Research: A Call to Action

“…The advantages of being White and the marginalization of dark-skinned individuals is observed worldwide. For instance, because of colorism, many individuals from Asian cultures are exposed to caste-discriminatory exclusion and ethnocentric prejudice 12,99 . In Latin America, skin-color prejudice is observed when there is a preference for partners with light skin tones and more European phenotypes (i.e., "mejorando la raza" or "improving the "race"); thus, within-group oppression is again driven by the power and status associated with Whiteness 1,23 .…”

Women’s Disempowerment and Preferences for Skin Lightening Products That Reinforce Colorism: Experimental Evidence From India

“…We view this as an important contribution of the current work because although the literature on colorism in general is extensive, most extant research has used the United States and other Western societies as the research setting (Dixon & Telles, 2017). By focusing our research on issues specific to and participants drawn from an emerging market context, we hope to advance global conversations around diverse and under-examined populations (see Bettache, 2020; Henrich et al, 2010).…”

“…Social psychology scholars have identified causal processes through which perceiver bias with respect to colorism leads to discriminatory attitudes and behaviors. What remains largely unknown is the psychological impact of colorism on targets of skin color discrimination (i.e., the target perspective; Major & Vick, 2005; see also Bettache, 2020, for a recent call to action for more psychological science research on colorism, especially in Asia). In a notable exception, Choma and Prusaczyk (2018) investigated the impact of system-justifying beliefs (belief in a just world, social dominance orientation, and color-blind racial ideology) on women of color's self-objectification and self-reported use of skin lightening products.…”

“…Our research advances extant knowledge by (a) experimentally testing theoretical arguments about how societal-level colorism combines with women's chronic and situational disempowerment, leading them to prefer products that put their health at risk and (b) answering calls by social scientists for increased work on the intersectionality of multiply disadvantaged social groups (Bettache, 2020;Cole, 2009;Reinka et al, 2020;Remedios & Snyder, 2015;Rosenthal, 2016). Based on our findings, we offer recommendations (see General Discussion section) for scholars, educators, practitioners, and policy makers in connection to these critical social issues.…”