Ronald Hall
Professor of Social Work | Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI, UNITED STATES
An expert in racism and diversity.
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Biography
Ronald Hall is the author of "The Melanin Millennium." He has lectured on skin color both domestically and internationally, and testified as expert witness in the nation’s first case of African-American skin color discrimination: Morrow v IRS, Atlanta Federal District Court.
Industry Expertise (5)
Education/Learning
Writing and Editing
Judiciary
Mental Health Care
Research
Areas of Expertise (5)
Colorism
Bleaching Syndrome
Racism
Discrimination
Black/White Racial Conflict
Accomplishments (2)
Faculty Publication Award
2013 Awarded for The Color Complex (Revised)
Mellen Award
2003 For Outstanding Contribution to Scholarship: Skin Color as a Post-Colonial Issue Among Asian-Americans
Education (2)
University of Atlanta: Ph.D, Social Work 1988
University of Michigan: MSW
Affiliations (1)
- Council on Social Work Education
Links (1)
News (3)
Black America’s ‘bleaching syndrome’
The Conversation
2018-02-02
The longing for lighter skin remains a taboo topic in African-American communities.
Bleaching creams are by-products of colonialism: a view from French history
The Conversation
2017-10-08
Despite their dangers, skin-bleaching products are grow in popularity in Africa, Asia and even Europe. France's colonial history holds one of the keys to better understanding this trend.
Indian men are swapping ‘tall, dark and handsome’ for ‘tall, fair and debonair’
The Conversation
2018-03-27
Bleaching cream companies, with the help of Bollywood male stars are making huge profits.
Journal Articles (3)
Spirituality vis-a-vis Islam as prerequisite to Arab American well being: The implications of eurocentrism for mainstream psychology
American Journal of PsychotherapyRonald E. Hall, Alfiee Breland-Noble
2018 Due to the historical preponderance of racial and/or intellectual homogeneity in the field of psychology, Eurocentrism set the “gold standard” for its method of intervention. As such, it might be argued that psychology remains a bastion of Eurocentric thought despite the globalization of knowledge and the influx of racially and ethnically diverse scientists into the research endeavor. At the same time and the significant increase in the immigrant Arab population, Arab Americans remain a less familiar component of society. Among the various Arab populations, spirituality through Islam is fundamental. Thus, psychologists would be remiss to exclude a critical aspect of Arab American life from intervention when it is essential to well-being.
Eurocentrism and the postcolonial implications of skin color among Latinos
Hispanic Journal of Behavioral SciencesRE Hall
2011 Eurocentrism is a worldview of the academic mainstream. It is grounded in a European perspective that manifests as a tendency to interpret and prioritize the world in Western terms, Western values, and Western experiences. Eurocentric frames of reference are pathological as pertains to the psychological well-being of Latinos. Evidence of said pathology is apparent via active litigation and increased rates of depression correlated to skin color for both sexes. Those having darker skin experience significant impact not acknowledged by mainstream social science due to the Eurocentric bias of social science literature. Thus the future viability of social science and the well-being of Latino populations rest on the willingness of its intelligentsia to accommodate and/or acknowledge skin color and other alternative views in their mainstream research and publication of literature.
Islamic spirituality vis-à-vis Asia Pacific Muslim populations: A resource for Western social work practice
International Social WorkRE Hall
2011 Among Asia Pacific Muslims who migrate West, spirituality is fundamental. The implications include the need for Western social workers when appropriate to apply Islamic-specific spiritual criteria. The dampening effects of Western social work absent Islamic spiritual resources will impair the potential of the profession. Effective social work practice involving Asia Pacific Muslim populations must necessarily incorporate knowledge of Islamic spirituality and if necessary apply it. The ability of Western social workers to accurately perceive, conceptualize, and interact therapeutically with Asia Pacific Muslim populations is a necessity where such populations have recently migrated West.
