Description
Book SynopsisInvestigates the social history of skin color from prehistory to the present, showing how our body's most visible feature influences our social interactions in profound and complex ways. This book explains why skin color has become a biological trait with great social meaning - a product of evolution perceived differently by different cultures.
Trade Review"Accessible to general readers... The book fascinates! Highly recommended." -- D. C. Cook, Indiana University Choice "Clear [and] thorough, but not exhaustive or boring." American Journal of Anthropology
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction Part One. Biology 1. Skin's Natural Palette 2. Original Skin 3. Out of the Tropics 4. Skin Color in the Modern World 5. Shades of Sex 6. Skin Color and Health Part Two. Society 7. The Discriminating Primate 8. Encounters with Difference 9. Skin Color in the Age of Exploration 10. Skin Color and the Establishment of Races 11. Institutional Slavery and the Politics of Pigmentation 12. Skin Colors and Their Variable Meanings 13. Aspiring to Lightness 14. Desiring Darkness 15. Living in Color Notes References Index
