Racialized Modernities: Gender and the Chromatic Economy of Contemporary Tunisia

My paper explores the cultural dimensions of race in postcolonial Tunisia, moving beyond traditional analyses that focus on structural racism (e.g., legal inequalities, segregation, access to public services). Drawing on Ergin’s concept of "chromatism," (Ergin, 2008; 2016) a fascination with skin color and physiognomic features, I examine how racial metaphors shape Tunisian modernity, particularly through the dualistic understanding of whiteness as both physical appearance and a colonial mode of thought (Khiari, 2016). In contrast to overtly racist acts, I focus on how racialized ideas about "Tunisianity" subtly inform everyday life, influencing norms and tastes. These chromatic imageries, deeply rooted in Tunisia’s complex negotiations with modernity, persist in mundane aspects of daily life, shaping societal distinctions and cultural preferences.

Through a combination of ethnographic and digital fieldwork, I look at the marketing of skin-whitening products in contemporary Tunisia, particularly through the lens of 'aesthetic entrepreneurs'—social media beauty influencers who sell these products by capitalizing on shifting western ideals of white beauty. I argue that while social media may suggest an increase in racial diversity, it simultaneously reinforces anti-Black racism and Tunisia’s epistemological dependence on the West. Black Tunisian women, in particular, face heightened marginalization due to deviations from these normative beauty standards. My overarching argument is that to understand racism in Tunisia, we must integrate the region into the global framework of white supremacy, particularly under neoliberalism, and move beyond the exclusive traditional focus on the legacy of trans-Saharan slavery.