Lecture on Whiteness, Colorism, and Antiracism – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards cover central concepts from the lecture on whiteness, colorism, and antiracism, providing concise definitions for exam review.

Whiteness

A socially constructed racial position that is treated as the invisible norm or default human standard, granting power and privilege.

Othering

The process of socially marginalizing people by attributing negative characteristics to those perceived as different from the dominant group.

“Other” (capital O)

A term that signals subjects of Othering; highlights their constructed difference from the presumed norm.

Default Human

The assumption that the dominant group (often white) represents ordinary humanity, while all others are deviations.

Invisibility of Whiteness

The condition in which whiteness is so normalized it escapes scrutiny, shielding it from critique.

Normalcy (Ian Hacking)

A 19th-century concept that judges people against statistical or cultural ‘norms,’ now a powerful ideological tool.

“Making Whiteness Strange”

Dyer’s call to render whiteness visible and questionable rather than an unmarked norm.

Multiculturalism as a Slide-Show

Dyer’s critique that multicultural displays can serve as entertainment for whites without challenging white dominance.

Hybridity (Dyer)

A hoped-for future condition of genuine multiplicity without white hegemony.

Biological Racist

Someone who claims races are biologically different and hierarchically ordered.

Biological Antiracist

Someone who asserts that races are biologically the same and rejects genetic racial differences.

Cultural Racist

A person who sets cultural standards that rank racial groups hierarchically.

Cultural Antiracist

A person who rejects cultural hierarchies and equalizes cultural differences among racial groups.

Colorism

A system of policies and ideas that produce inequities between light-skinned and dark-skinned people within a group.

Color Antiracism

Policies and ideas striving for equity between light and dark complexions.

Colorblind Ideology

The belief that ignoring race ends racism; critiqued as a form of willing ignorance that upholds systemic inequality.

Routine Racism

Everyday, normalized racist practices embedded in social life.

“Loving” Racism

Seemingly affectionate or benign practices that nevertheless reinforce racist stereotypes or hierarchies.

Racial Representation

How racial groups are depicted in media; shapes perceptions of who counts as human.

Racial Taxonomy

An ordering of races into a hierarchy, such as placing whites at the top and blacks at the bottom.

Japanese Whiteness

The idea that light Japanese skin symbolizes national identity and purity, marginalizing darker Japanese and others.

Bihaku

Japanese term for ‘beautiful white’; refers to skin-whitening ideals and products.

Suppin

Literally “unpainted face”; an ideal of natural, light, makeup-free Japanese skin.

Hada iro → Pale Orange

The renaming of the crayon color once labeled ‘skin color’ to recognize diverse complexions.

Racial Profiling

Police or authorities targeting individuals for scrutiny based on race rather than behavior.

Meaning and Absence (Stuart Hall)

The idea that what is missing from an image or text is as significant as what is present, revealing default assumptions.

Default Position

Taken-for-granted standards (e.g., whiteness) against which differences are measured.

“Just Human” Position

The powerful stance of claiming universality while others are marked as raced or different.

Racial Hierarchy

An ordering of races that assigns differing value, status, or power.

Skin-Lightening Products

Cosmetics marketed to whiten or brighten skin, reflecting colorist beauty standards.

Tanning Products

Goods that darken skin tone, illustrating skin color as modifiable and commodified.

Okinawan Difference

Japanese perception that Okinawans are culturally and physically distinct from mainland ‘us,’ revealing internal racism.

Hafu (half)

Japanese term for mixed Japanese and non-Japanese individuals, often placed between white and Japanese in social hierarchies.

Privilege of Ignorance

The ability of dominant groups to remain uninformed about racial history and impact, itself a form of power.

Slide-Show Multiculturalism

A superficial celebration of diversity that entertains the dominant group without challenging its dominance.

Antiracist Struggle

Kendi’s notion of the ongoing effort to recognize everyone’s full humanity and dismantle racist structures.