Is the Past, Past? Exploring the Influence of Colonialism on Race and Inequality in Malaysia

While there is growing attention on race and racism, we often overlook how ideas from the colonial era still affect how we think and act. In this thesis, I aimed to understand how these ideas shape our beliefs and contribute to inequality. The first study showed that views on resource distribution and feelings about one’s racial identity influenced how much group-based inequalities are seen as fair. The second study explored how racial inequality is maintained across generations through a cultural process. Overall, these findings show the importance of sociohistorical and cultural processes in studies that examine inequality in postcolonial societies.