Leiden University Student Repository

Tahitu, Ruana Anine (2020)

Colourism in Indonesia, The Marginalization of Melanesian groups - The Effect of Colourism in the Southeast Asian Beauty Standard

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

Current global movements have emphasized the institutionalized problem of colourism that structurally disadvantage people of colour. In Indonesia, the Melanesians, a marginalized group of dark-skinned people from East-Indonesia, find themselves in a Southeast Asian society that embraces a beauty standard of fair skin. This exposes the already marginalized group to a society that encourages colourism. This thesis attempts to research to what extent colourism within the beauty standards contributes to the marginalization of their position within Indonesian society over the last two decades. Furthermore, this thesis analyses the establishment of colourism within the Southeast Asian beauty standard, as well as why the Melanesians have been in a marginalized position since the Indonesian dependence.

Colourism

Melanesia

Indonesia

Beauty standard

Racism

Marginalization

Author

Tahitu, Ruana Anine

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

South and Southeast Asia

Supervisors

Choi, Nankyung

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en