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racial supremacism  

Definition

  • Racial supremacy is related to social structures that organize people politically and economically into complex hierarchical systems of racialized social groups or “races.” A critical understanding of racial supremacy is vital to the field of global studies because racial phenomena, such as the persistence of wealth and power imbalances on a global scale between light- and dark-skinned people, are significant features of global society. This entry focuses on the following components of the globalization of racial supremacy: racial superiority and inferiority; global White supremacy; White opportunity structures; colorism, which is the belief that those who have lighter skin are superior (i.e., smarter or more attractive); and pigmentocracy, which is a political and social arrangement based on a hierarchical ordering of people based on skin tone. [Source: Encyclopedia of Global Studies; Racial Supremacy]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/racial_supremacism

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