The easing of legal and unauthorized entry to South Africa has made the country a new destination for Black immigrants. As this population continues to grow, its children have begun to experience South African schools in an array of uniquely challenging ways. For these immigrant youth, forging a sense of identity may be their single greatest…

The critical study of rap music and hip-hop culture has the potential to expand Americans understanding of race and culture in the United States. Hip-hop culture as a multiracial, multiethnic phenomenon reveals the ways in which race relations over the past thirty years have become increasingly complex. The theories and concepts that they use to…

Hip-hop is an interethnic contact zone that allows for the creation of new expressive cultures and new identities for young people. Its openness derives in part from the wide range of expression and interpretation allowed in 182 "McFarland" African musics. Moving beyond the often stifling options offered by an earlier generation that focused on…

It is generally true that when people are deprived of their own cultural forms and are coerced into adopting the cultural forms of others, disorder, stress, and even disability will occur. Conversely, the basic strength of any people results from their experience of historical and cultural continuity. The strengths of African-American children and…

A Black U.S. sociologist views the issue of marginality in early socialization and career development. Analyzes his life experiences to provide data through which a dialectical model of marginalization and human development can be constructed. Concludes that emphasis upon either marginality or mainstreaming is a function of the complex interaction…

Uses the Cross model of Black identity development as a framework for discussion of the developmental stages of American-Indian identity: pre-encounter, encounter, immersion/emersion, and internalization. Discusses identity conflicts encountered in various scenarios related to biracial or bicultural status, adoptions, mixed-race families, parent…

Comments on two opening articles by Parham ("Cycles of Psychological Nigrescence") and Helms ("Considering Some Methodological Issues in Racial Identity Counseling Research"). Suggests that the connotations of victimization and racial conflict in the concept of "psychological Nigrescence" are obsolete. Offers 11…

Social support is a significant component of mental health; yet, it has not been examined extensively among black Americans. This paper is a critical review of the research literature on informal social support. The review identifies how social support is conceptualized and defined, the importance of social support for mental health, and the…

Gives a theoretical perspective of the multidimensional nature of Black-race/White-race consciousness. American perceptions of race are expressed in White race centeredness. Blacks face the dilemma of adhering to two sets of values: a positive valuation of their race and a necessity of passing in White society. (PS)

Describes a study of the relationship between social identity and readiness for social relations in Israeli Jewish and Arab students and in U.S. Black and White students. Both the Israeli Arabs and the U.S. Blacks tend to emphasize their race or nationality more than their civic allegiance. (SED)

The expressed individual and cultural values of two groups of urban, lower socioeconomic status black American women are contrasted, using a situational forced-choice Expressed Values scale developed especially for this purpose. Group 1 (n=67) at the time of the study was enrolled in a high school equivalency degree program at a junior college.…

The issue of how the outcomes of research on vocational education and training (VET) are influenced by categories that frame thinking about research and learning was explored. Special attention was paid to the following issues: (1) the role of researchers' culture and race in identification of adult learning principles; (2) the need for…