Creating insight into Black racial identity development: A Trevor Noah Case Study

This Thesis researches racial identity development in a South African context. To achieve this there has been chosen to conduct a case study on Trevor Noah’s cultural production. The theoretical framework discusses the South African context, Racial Identity and the Nigrescence Model. The methodology includes qualitative content analysis on Trevor Noah’s cultural production. The Results show how Trevor Noah from Childhood to Adulthood passed through the stages of the Expanded Nigrescence model. The Conclusion discusses the limitations of the research and Trevor Noah’s uncommon standing in the Expanded Nigrescence model due to his mixed race and South African upbringing. At the end it is concluded that the research on Trevor Noah highlighted the limitations and lack of fluidity in South Africa racial structure and classification, and special standing of mixed race South Africans in this system.