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White Research in Black Communities: When Solutions Become a Part of the Problem
Author(s) -
Brazziel William F.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1973.tb00057.x
Subject(s) - white (mutation) , legitimation , race (biology) , social psychology , action (physics) , psychology , sociology , racism , criminology , public relations , political science , gender studies , law , chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , politics , biochemistry , gene
A distinction is made between the intellectual caliber of white researchers who have studied black people in the past, and those who study us today. Today's white researchers are perhaps counterproductive in black communities not because they are white, but because they are poorly trained. While race or skin color may be highly correlated with the amount of community legitimation a researcher acquires, it is not a determinant. Equally if not more important are the values which the researcher acquires as a result of his professional training. The problems associated with the influence of these values on black communities can be solved if action is taken with regard to several concrete issues. Conceivably white researchers may have the willingness and capacity to deal effectively with these.