Abstract

LIMA, Marcus Eugênio O.  and  VALA, Jorge. The colour of success: effects of the social and economical performance on the whitening and on the infra-humanization of blacks in Brazil. Psicol. USP [online]. 2005, vol.16, n.3, pp. 143-165. ISSN 1678-5177.

This study analyse the impact of skin colour and social performance on the whitening and infra-humanization of Black people. The main hypotheses are: a) the Blacks will be more infra-humanized than the Whites, b) the groups that are socially unsuccessful will be more infra-humanized than the groups that obtain success, and c) the groups with success will be perceived as whiter than the ones that are unsuccessful. The results of the 175 white students, of three private universities, of three regional capitals of Brazil, indicate that the hypotheses were partially confirmed. At the level of the subjective perception of skin colour, the unsuccessful groups were infra-humanized when compared to those that obtain success, and the groups that obtain success were whitened, and the unsuccessful groups blackened. The infra-humanization of the blacks is mediated by the skin whitening. These results are discussed in the context of the new psychosociological theories about racism.

Keywords : Social groups; Racism; Sociocultural factors.

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