Published at University of Chicago Press, Studies in American Politics Book Series (2025).
Book Description
Research shows that differences in skin tone are linked with significant differences in life experiences. On average, African Americans with dark skin have lower wages, less wealth, worse health outcomes, and more negative criminal justice experiences than light-skinned Africans Americans. Do these experiences influence political identities and attitudes?
Drawing on 100 in-depth interviews and evidence from multiple surveys and a survey experiment, The Politics of Skin Tone investigates this question. Yadon conceptualizes skin tone as one facet of the multidimensional construct of race which powerfully influences racialized experiences. She finds that skin tone meaningfully correlates with political attitudes, particularly on issues where color-based disparities are well-known and most pronounced (e.g., criminal justice, jobs). Moreover, skin tone-related identity is meaningful to a sizable number of African Americans and, in turn, is strongly associated with political attitudes. In an era of shifting racial boundaries and growing color-based discrimination, Yadon examines the implications for scholars and policymakers alike.
Reviews
“In an American society eager to become post-racial, Yadon shines a spotlight on an unspoken truth but hidden reality for many: skin tone matters. Yadon delivers a powerful and convincing political story of how one’s blackness shapes their lived experiences. The book is rich in its theoretical development, encompassing in its empirical execution, and profound in its significance for American society. It will be read, debated, and lauded for years to come.”
– Daniel Q. Gillion, author of “The Loud Minority: Why Protests Matter in American Democracy”
“The Politics of Skin Tone offers an exploration into the role of skin color on African American life chances and politics, marked by Yadon’s ingenuity in gathering multiple data sources together in a multi-method approach.”
— Natalie Masuoka, coauthor of “The Politics of Belonging: Race, Public Opinion and Immigration”
“The Politics of Skin Tone is undoubtedly the most compelling, comprehensive, and theoretically rich examination of the relationship between skin tone and politics among African Americans. This groundbreaking work explores the important role colorism plays in shaping both intracategory dynamics among African Americans and politics among African Americans more broadly. Yadon convincingly shows that, contrary to other prior research, the importance of skin tone for African Americans’ identity is not declining but growing in significance across generations.”
— Ellis Monk, Professor of Sociology, Harvard University