One of the most impressive patterns in the recent literature on racial discrimination is the broad range of national contexts in which it has been studied. Undoubtedly, there are some commonalities to the manifestation of discrimination. However, as with other stressors, culture, history and social context can determine the kinds and categories of stressful experiences. As studies of discrimination continue to proliferate across racial, ethnic, cultural, national, and socioeconomic contexts, researchers should ensure that the assessments of discriminatory experiences are appropriate to the specific population group under study. National data for South Africa reveals that levels of chronic Everyday Discrimination and major acute experiences of discrimination are markedly lower than in the U.S. (Williams et al. 2008). It is currently unclear whether this variation reflects national or cultural differences in the levels of discrimination, the discourse about race, the willingness to report experiences of discrimination, the level of social interaction between dominant and non-dominant racial groups, or the applicability of measures of discrimination developed in the U.S. to a different context. Measuring discrimination comprehensively will require more explicit attention to assessing the relevant forms of its manifestation in specific contexts.
