Race, Ancestral Interdependence, and the Subjective Temporal Distance of U.S. Histories of Oppression

Each person is connected to the past through the family members from whom they descend. Still, Americans differ vastly on their perceptions of how long ago past events of racial oppression have occurred in the U.S., reflecting a motivated psychological process. In this talk, I will describe four studies that investigate how Black and White Americans' felt interdependence with their familial ancestors shapes the perceived temporal distance of U.S. history that describes anti-Black racism-and how racial attitudes can disrupt this ancestry-time link. Overall, we find evidence that being made to feel more interdependent with familial ancestors can compel a more proximal view of U.S. history generally, including past racial oppression. However, the complexities of using ancestral connections to foster a greater reckoning with the roots of inequality will be discussed.