ABSTRACT
The growth of a Black middle class has been regarded as an important benchmark for Blacks' social and economic standing. Black middle-class scholarship examines a breadth and depth of subjects ranging from marriage and mate selection, wealth accumulation, consumption patterns, participation in the arts, community mobilization, political activism, social movements, to health and well-being. The chapter is divided into three parts. Part one takes one step back from the above-mentioned scholarship to focus more on the historical points in time and related policy implemented for the social mobility and the growth of the Black middle class, both in the United States and South Africa. Part two points to the suggestion for defining and studying the global Black middle class. Such a definition challenges scholars to rethink and critically access the systemic and global natures of racialized class-based stratification processes. Part three concludes with a discussion of and suggestions for important considerations for future research on the global Black middle class.
