Neither Black nor White: Louisiana Creoles, and South African Coloureds, and the Struggle for Identity, Nationhood, and Belonging (2015)

Undergraduate: Griffin Lerner

Faculty Advisor: Lisa Lindsay
Department: History

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Race as a social construct and sign of demarcation has played a significant role in the shaping of modern society the last 300 years. In Reconstruction Louisiana and apartheid South Africa, Creoles of color and ¿¿¿Coloureds¿¿¿, respectively, occupied a middle ground in two extreme racial conflicts. Neither white nor black, these groups looked to find belonging under white supremacist regimes that robbed them of their rights under racial pretenses. Under differing demographic contexts, Creoles of color were lumped into the monolithic minority African-African category, while Coloureds occupied a third caste above black Africans and below white Afrikaners, and the nonwhite groups were intentionally fragmented under minority white rule. This thesis uses the case studies of mixed-race groups under racist regimes to explore the power-driven agenda behind racial construction. In legalizing and codifying race, South Africa and Louisiana gave legitimacy to abstract concepts, as constructed racial identities had tangible effects on peoples¿¿¿ lives. Creoles of color and Coloureds challenged the idea of a black-white racial dichotomy and illustrated the shades of grey of race, identity, and nationhood.