UK Black hair matters: A thematic analysis exploring Afro-Caribbean women’s hair as representations of the socially constructed knowledge of identity and identity threats

Abstract

Hair has the ability to visibly define ethnic difference, determine identity and impact self-esteem. Although empirical research has explored the hair texture altering behaviours of African American women, the experiences of Afro-caribbean women in the UK have been under-investigated despite being shaped by distinct cultural and historical contexts. Guided by the theoretical explanations of identity processes theory and situational identity and threats, semi-structured interviews of UK Afro-Caribbean women were used to investigate intergroup factors which affect their responses to intergroup relations and the salience of personal and social identity. Through the social constructionist epistemological approach, thematic analysis suggested that Afro-Caribbean women’s hair was subjectively positioned as a source of everyday subtle racism. The findings differ from American studies as UK Afro-Caribbean women describe the threat to identity as not only pervasive but endemic.