Michael Charles Thornton

Michael C. Thornton is Professor of Afro-American Studies, Asian American Studies and Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After receiving a B.S. from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, he wet on to teach at Eastern Michigan University and Cornell University. His work highlights issues related to ethnic/racial identity, relations among groups of color, aging and family. Areas of particular interest are ethnic identity among blacks and Asian Americans, Asian American and black mutual perceptions and attitudes towards other groups of color, ethnic differences in caring for the elderly, multiracial families and racial socialization. Titles of published papers reflective of his work are "Strategies of Racial Socialization among Black Parents," "Race Versus Ethnic Heritage in Models of Family Economic Decisions," "Economic Well-Being and Black Adult Feelings Toward Immigrants and Whites, 1984," "African Diaspora Passages from the Middle East to East Asia," "Black, Japanese and American: An Asian American Identity Yesterday and Today," "Correlates of Racial Label Use among Americans of African Descent: Colored, Negro, Black and African American," "Religiosity and Black Adult Feelings Toward Africans, American Indians, West Indians, Hispanics and Asian Americans," "Multiple Dimensions of Racial Group Identification among Adult Black Americans," and "U.S. News Magazine Images of Black-Asian American Relationships, 1980-1992."