This paper focuses on the documentary "Little White Lie", following Lacey Schwartz in her journey of finding her own racial identity. It examines how Lacey Schwartz's racial identity develops throughout her life, as depicted in the film. Furthermore, it will be examined in how far Cross' and Helms' theories apply to Schwartz' racial development.
Who am I? For many of us, it is an easy question to answer. We know our identity is based on our family members, especially our parents, how we look like, how people are reflecting back at us, what they see based on their knowledge of identity. We live in a society that makes us want to belong to a certain group, religion, gender, ethnicity and so on. But what about not being fully categorizable into one “box”? What about being more than one or two categories? Lacey Schwartz wonders about her own identity in her film "Little White Lie". Because of a lie, she is torn between her perfect white Jewish family and her mother's affair with a black man who turns out to be her father. This discovery is her turning point in life which ultimately throws her into a family but most importantly into an identity crisis.
But what exactly is an identity? Different fields such as cultural studies, sociology, and psychology deal with this question. There are more than enough theories about what identity can be, and how it works for us. One aspect they have in common is that many factors determine what we see as part of our identity. In the US American context, race plays an important role, and scholars such as William Cross and Janet Helms have developed their own theories as to how a person's racial identity evolves. Beverly Daniel Tatum further emphasizes that part of who we are is how others see us.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Racial Identity & Racial Identity Development
2.1 White Racial Identity Development
2.2 Black Racial Identity Development
3. Little White Lie - Plot and Background
4. Analysis
4.1 Development of Lacey Schwartz’ Racial Identity
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This paper examines the evolution of Lacey Schwartz's racial identity as portrayed in the documentary Little White Lie, applying theoretical frameworks to understand her transition from a white-identified upbringing to self-identifying as a black woman.
- The theoretical foundations of racial identity development according to Janet Helms and William Cross.
- The impact of family narrative and social environment on early identity formation.
- The role of external perception and interracial encounters during adolescence.
- The integration of biological discovery into one's personal and racial sense of self.
- The applicability and limitations of established identity models to biracial individuals.
Excerpt from the Book
Development of Lacey Schwartz’ Racial Identity
The documentary opens with a narration of Lacey Schwartz in which she talks about her lineage. She begins by telling the audience that she is the descendant of Eastern European Jews and goes on to explain that she “grew up in a world with synagogues, Hebrew school, bar mitzvahs.” and that her “family knew who they were. And they defined who I was.” (1:32 - 2:10) From the very beginning, it becomes apparent that Schwartz sees her Jewish ancestry as a dominant part of her identity. Interestingly, she does associate being Jewish with being white. Before the opening ends Schwartz adds that because her Jewish upbringing “it never occurred to me that I was passing. I actually grew up believing I was white.” Passing refers to the ability of a person to be viewed as part of an identity group or category different from their own. The term is often used in regard to a person appearing of a different race (Alexander 377). Schwartz grows up in a primarily white neighbourhood and has little encounter with people of other races. “It was a white world where race didn’t exist for us - it wasn’t really talked about.” (11:56-12:03). Through old family pictures, Schwartz points out her (compared to her family members) dark complexion as well as her curly almost coily hair. Despite the fact that phenotypically Schwartz stands out from the rest of the family, she hardly questions it - nor does anyone around her. On the occasions where her appearance does become a topic of conversation, it is easily brushed off by her parents, telling her that it is due to her Sicilian great-grandfather and “[her] parents and [she] never talked about it again” (10:28-10:33). The home videos and photos shown, further highlight how little Lacey Schwartz contact had with people outside of her white Jewish community throughout her childhood.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Introduces the core question of identity and the documentary Little White Lie as a case study for personal racial discovery.
2. Racial Identity & Racial Identity Development: Defines core theories of racial development by Janet Helms and William Cross, focusing on white and black identity stages.
3. Little White Lie - Plot and Background: Provides context for the biographical documentary, detailing the filmmaker’s background and the core conflicts of her identity.
4. Analysis: Applies the theoretical frameworks to the life of Lacey Schwartz, tracing her development from childhood through university.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, noting that Schwartz's journey does not perfectly align with existing stage models and emphasizes the role of appearance in her identity.
Keywords
Racial Identity, Little White Lie, Lacey Schwartz, Janet Helms, William Cross, Identity Development, Passing, Biracial, Jewish Identity, Black Identity, Cultural Studies, Documentary Analysis, Social Construct, Race, Phenotype.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this research paper?
This paper explores the construction and transformation of racial identity through the lens of Lacey Schwartz's autobiographical documentary, Little White Lie.
Which theoretical frameworks are used in this study?
The study utilizes Janet Helms’ theory of White Racial Identity Development and William Cross’ theory of Black Racial Identity Development.
What is the central research question?
The research seeks to examine how Lacey Schwartz’s racial identity develops over time and how well existing theoretical models apply to her specific personal experience.
What is the significance of the "passing" phenomenon in the paper?
It highlights the concept of being perceived as a different race than one's heritage, which is central to Schwartz's childhood perception of herself as purely white.
What scientific methodology is employed?
The author performs a qualitative analysis of film content, comparing narrative elements and biographical events against established sociological and psychological identity theories.
How does the family environment influence Schwartz's early identity?
Her family’s narrative, which attributed her darker features to a distant Sicilian ancestor, effectively suppressed questions about her race and solidified her white identity during childhood.
Did the author find that the identity models perfectly describe Schwartz's experience?
No, the author concludes that Schwartz does not fit neatly into every stage of the models, particularly regarding the final stages involving activism or commitment to racial issues.
How did university life impact Schwartz's identity formation?
College served as a critical turning point where she sought out black social groups and media, enabling her to transition from a white-identified self-conception to identifying as a black woman.
Is the identity shift in the documentary a linear process?
The paper references Tatum to explain that racial development is not necessarily linear, and in Schwartz's case, it involves skipping some stages or moving back and forth between them.
What role does the revelation about her biological father play?
The discovery that her biological father was an African American man acts as the definitive catalyst for the final internalization of her black identity.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2019, Racial Identity Development in "Little White Lie", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1153641
