Marion Grimberg M.A.

PhD Student | Bodies and Performances

About me
I am a French-German-Swedish PhD candidate in ethnology and social and cultural anthropology. Growing up bilingual and in between cultures sparked my interest for varying sociocultural topics from an early age. Academically, my background lies in social and cultural anthropology and in business administration.

What is my research about?
I study the meanings and values that are associated with skin tones in Nigeria and Germany. In Germany, I focus on skin tone-based experiences of Black individuals, which often involve racialization, racism, and colorism. In Nigeria, additional topics such as skin care, artificial skin lightening, the performance of wealth and class through skin tone and appearance, along with other topics have proven important for my research.

Why human differentiation?
I am interested in studies of human differentiation because I am interested in how humans put each other in boxes and what consequences this can have—for example discrimination. I believe that studies in human differentiation can help us question our categorizing behavior and see categories as what they are: namely, social constructs.

Foto: Stephanie Füssenich

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