African American Responses to Racism and Discrimination

这项研究基于对居住在纽约及其周边地区的160名非裔美国人的深入采访，分析了受污名化群体成员用来应对种族主义和歧视的话语和行为策略。它比较了25-60岁的中产阶级和工薪阶层男性和女性对这些策略的描述，并考虑了感知到的歧视如何影响策略的范围和突出程度。该项目还考虑了战略和精神健康结果之间的联系，目的是为有关精神健康和种族差异的文献做出贡献。虽然社会流行病学文献提供了不平等和歧视对身心健康影响的证据，但本项目记录了对歧视的反应，即通过反种族主义战略，如何调节这种影响。它还阐明了含义和文化结构在从歧视到疾病的过程中的作用。该项目涉及对反种族主义战略的“日常”理解，并说明了这些战略的范围和重要性。令人感兴趣的结果是：a)讲述种族主义和歧视的经历以及感受到的歧视所带来的情绪。B)说明受污名化群体成员与其他群体成员之间的异同和关系。C)叙述了为应对他人对其群体的成见而改变与其社会身份相关的含义的战略。D)用于获得尊重或促进与占主导地位的群体成员互动的行为策略的说明。E)以各种健康指标衡量，感觉到的歧视对心理健康的影响。我们将探索个体的反种族主义策略是否会随着感知到的歧视而变化：一个人感知到的歧视越频繁和强烈，S/他就会动员更多的证据来展示他/她的价值。我们还假设，不同类别的受访者：中产阶级和工薪阶层；以及男性和女性，其账户的范围和突出程度会有所不同。结果将以一本面向更多读者的书以及针对反种族主义、种族主义、身份、族裔和社会运动专家的学术文章以及关于应对、反种族主义、种族主义、身份和族裔以及社会运动的心理和心理健康文献的专家为对象。该项目更广泛的社会意义在于，通过更好地了解可能限制种族主义对精神健康的影响的文化进程，促进社会正义。

Drawing on 160 in-depth interviews with African-Americans living in and around New York, the study analyzes the discursive and behavioral strategies that members of stigmatized groups use to cope with racism and discrimination. It compares the accounts of these strategies produced by middle and working class men and women ages 25-60 and considers how the range and salience of strategies are affected by perceived discrimination. The project also considers the association between strategies and mental health outcomes, with the goal of contributing to the literature on mental health and racial disparity. While the social epidemiology literature provides evidence of the impact of inequality and discrimination on physical and mental health, this project documents how responses to discrimination, namely through anti-racist strategies, can modulate this impact. It also illuminates the role of meanings and cultural structures in the pathways leading from discrimination to ill health.The project is concerned with the "everyday" understandings of anti-racist strategies and with accounting for their range and salience. The outcomes of interest are: A) Accounts of experiences with racism and discrimination and of the emotions brought about by perceived discrimination. B) Accounts of the similarities and differences, and relationships, between members of stigmatized groups and other groups. C) Accounts of strategies used to change the meanings associated with their social identity in response to stereotypes about their group that others have. D) Accounts of behavioral strategies used to gain respect or facilitate interaction with members of the dominant group. E) Effects of perceived discrimination on mental health, as measured by various health indicators. We will explore whether individual anti-racist strategies vary with perceived discrimination: the more frequently and intensely an individual perceives discrimination, the greater the range and salience of evidence s/he will mobilize to demonstrate his/her value. We also hypothesize that the range and salience of accounts will vary across categories of respondents: middle class and working class people; and men and women. Results will be presented in a book written for a larger audience, as well as in scholarly articles aimed at experts on anti-racism, racism, identity, ethnicity, and social movements, as well as experts in the psychological and mental health literatures on coping, anti-racism, racism, identity, and ethnicity, and social movements. The broader social significance of the project is to promote social justice through a better understanding of the cultural processes that may limit the impact of racism on mental health.