I also feel somewhat confused too. I agree that e.g., Black African Americans are probably pretty close to the category of “West”. At the time, I was thinking about the trade off between including people who are sort of in the middle of West and non-West, and having a clearer demarcation between West vs non-West to reduce noise.
I don’t think I have a lot of strong reasons, but I thought the clearer demarcation is more important. If folks disagree about my decision, happy to hear more!
FWIW it strikes me as odd / surprising to say that e.g. Black African Americans are not Westerners purely by virtue of not being white or mixed race.
I should also say I’m grateful to you for what is obviously a pretty significant amount of work, done thoughtfully and with measured conclusions.
(also I think there are some links missing from the Recommendations section?)
Ah, thanks for pointing that out.
And I appreciate the praise!
I also feel somewhat confused too. I agree that e.g., Black African Americans are probably pretty close to the category of “West”. At the time, I was thinking about the trade off between including people who are sort of in the middle of West and non-West, and having a clearer demarcation between West vs non-West to reduce noise.
I don’t think I have a lot of strong reasons, but I thought the clearer demarcation is more important. If folks disagree about my decision, happy to hear more!