'Dying' to be White

The Obsession with Fair Skin in India and the Global South
1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-1-032-23061-0
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 210 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 232 mm, Gewicht: 330 g

This book examines the phenomenon of colorism in India and the Global South and critically analyses the obsession with fair skin and its association with social capital or mobility.

Exploring the prevalence of colorism in India, China, Japan, Vietnam, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Kenya and Australia, it traces its roots in history, scriptures, travel narratives, contemporary media and popular culture. How much did colonialism and European imperialism contribute to the desire to be white? How have globalization and the spread of consumer culture and Western ideals of beauty helped exacerbate these issues? The author discusses these questions while looking at the aspirations for beauty and modernity among these societies and the growing popularity of the use of creams, lotions and other methods to whiten the skin as a means to assimilate, emulate the West and gain better prospects and life.

Lucid and topical, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of race and colorism, sociology, social history, social anthropology, cultural studies, consumer economics, Asian studies and South Asian studies.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bhatt, Purnima Mehta

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Regionalwissenschaften, Regionalstudien
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Stadt- und Regionalsoziologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde Minderheiten, Interkulturelle & Multikulturelle Fragen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Figures. Acknowledgements. 1. Obsession with fair skin 2.  Colorism in the ancient world 3.   Finding color prejudice in foreign travelers’ accounts 4. Origins and evolution of colorism in India 5.   Colorism in Hindu religion 6.   Ideals of beauty in classical Indian literature and art 7.   Colorism in popular Indian culture 8.   Penchant for fair skin in east asia 9.   Cosmopolitan whiteness in south and southeast Asia 10.   Colorism in Afro-American community and in Africa 11.   Fondness for fairness in the Caribbean and Latin America 12.   indigenous peoples of the world and the Roma 13.   Health effects of skin bleaching and voices of opposition 14. In conclusion. Bibliography. Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Purnima Mehta Bhatt is Professor Emerita of History, Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Hood College, USA.