<p>Epistemologies of Ignorance: Revisiting the Marley Hypothesis and the Role of Collective Self-Esteem and Social Dominance Theory</p>

Background: In studies on racial differences in the perception of racism, it has been shown that these differences are mediated by the degree of historical knowledge about racism. The validity of this hypothesis is evaluated in the context of the states of Oregon and Washington. In the present study, we propose as the main objective to contrast the Marley hypothesis based on its previous empirical evaluation, as it has been substantiated, and incorporating the analysis of the construct of social dominance orientation (SDO). Methodology: Using convenience sampling, 79 White Americans (M = 35.75, SD = 16.45) and 58 Black Americans (M = 30.93, SD = 10.27) were selected. Four measures were used: a historical knowledge quiz, the Collective Self-Esteem Scale, a perception of racism scale and the SDO-7 Short Scale. Results: The expected racial differences in the perception of racism were not found. However, White participants presented less historical knowledge. Furthermore, greater historical knowledge predicted SDO only for Black participants. It has been proven that the degree of racial identification moderates the effect of race status on perceptions of racism. Discussion and Conclusion: The defense of a “non-racist” self-image by white participants is closely linked to how they report their perceptions of racism. It is noted that, even though the two groups presented equal levels in this variable, the scores could be due to different underlying processes, hence the results are compatible with the notion that the two groups understand racism in different ways. The data suggests that in this region, the perception and understanding of racism are influenced by sociocultural factors that were not as relevant in previous studies.