Anthropological study on blackness and skin bleaching in Jamaica

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26884079
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology
• Research Institution: Osaka Butsuryo University (2015); National Museum of Ethnology (2014)
• Principal Investigator: Kamimoto Shuji 大阪物療大学, 保健医療学部, 助教 (30732622)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-08-29 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: ジャマイカ / 黒人性 / ファッション / 身体加工 / ポピュラー音楽

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Skin bleaching refers to the use of chemical substances to try to lighten skin tone by reducing the amount of melanin in the skin. Many people in the Caribbean, the African Continent, and North America engage in skin bleaching. This study attempts to understand skin bleaching from the perspective of Jamaican modern blackness. To achieve this aim, I collected the data from inquiries and photos through fieldwork, newspaper articles, and articles and books on skin bleaching. By analyzing these data, I clarified that while conventional skin bleaching is a method of conforming to European standard of beauty, the current trend of skin bleaching, which is sometimes done to highlight tattoos, aim to characterizing their bodies and is influenced by individualism and consumerism, which have been advanced by globalization.

Free Research Field

文化人類学