WORKSHOP WORKSHOP Cultural Colourism

Workshop Details

Yvon Guest

Colourism is discrimination against individuals based on the shade of their skin. It is thought those with the darkest skin experience more than lighter skinned people. A perfect storm of colonialism, slavery, racism, eugenics, and opposition to racial mixing have contributed to the way it manifests at this present time.

From research in the UK, we know it affects dark and light skinned people, men, and women. It happens between members of different racial groups and members of the same racial group. Research has not addressed colourism in the family and has failed to draw out nuances and complexities around hair texture, or facial features. From my work with people whose ancestry lies in countries that were colonised by the British Empire, I have observed that colourism adds another layer of trauma to those struggling with white racism.

I am going to use this presentation to explore an aspect of colourism that occurs constantly in my counselling practice: cultural colourism. This manifests, for example, as people who are biologically Black being rejected by their community for not being culturally Black enough. Or a South Asian person being rejected for not being Indian, Pakistani, or Bengali enough. This raises questions about authentic identity, how that is policed. And how the failure to recognise that identity is diversifying and evolving weakens the collective struggle against global white racism.

Yvon is a psycho-dynamic counsellor living and working in Bristol. After gaining her PhD in trauma and resilience built an intersectional practice. Yvon writes about the mixed race experience in the UK. She also creates multimedia resources for understanding and working with colourism in the UK. In her spare time, she loves going for long walks, cooking, and family time.