Amy C. Steinbugler
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199743551
- eISBN:
- 9780199979370
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199743551.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Race and Ethnicity
This book examines interracial intimacy in the beginning of the twenty-first century, an era rife with racial contradictions in which interracial relationships are increasingly seen as ...
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This book examines interracial intimacy in the beginning of the twenty-first century, an era rife with racial contradictions in which interracial relationships are increasingly seen as forward-thinking symbols of racial progress, even as old stereotypes about illicit eroticism endure. With extensive qualitative research, this book examines the racial dynamics of everyday life for lesbian, gay, and heterosexual Black/White couples. It disputes the notion that interracial partners are enlightened subjects who have somehow managed to “get beyond” race. Instead, for many partners interracial intimacy represents not the end, but rather the beginning of a sustained process of negotiating racial differences. This research reveals the ordinary challenges that partners frequently face and the myriad ways in which race shapes partners’ interactions with each other, as well as with family members, neighbors, coworkers, and strangers.This book analyzes contemporary interracial lives through the lens of “racework”: the everyday actions and strategies by which individuals maintain close relationships in a society with deeply rooted racial inequalities. It explores how racework operates in three realms: public spaces, the internal dynamics of relationships, and in the construction of interracial identities. Comparing the experiences of gay and lesbian partners with heterosexual partners, it argues that sexuality and gender play a significant role in how partners use racework in negotiating public spaces and identities, but a minor role in how partners deal with inequalities inside their relationship. With a focus on racework, this book positions interracial intimacy as an ongoing process, rather than as a singular accomplishment.Less
This book examines interracial intimacy in the beginning of the twenty-first century, an era rife with racial contradictions in which interracial relationships are increasingly seen as forward-thinking symbols of racial progress, even as old stereotypes about illicit eroticism endure. With extensive qualitative research, this book examines the racial dynamics of everyday life for lesbian, gay, and heterosexual Black/White couples. It disputes the notion that interracial partners are enlightened subjects who have somehow managed to “get beyond” race. Instead, for many partners interracial intimacy represents not the end, but rather the beginning of a sustained process of negotiating racial differences. This research reveals the ordinary challenges that partners frequently face and the myriad ways in which race shapes partners’ interactions with each other, as well as with family members, neighbors, coworkers, and strangers.This book analyzes contemporary interracial lives through the lens of “racework”: the everyday actions and strategies by which individuals maintain close relationships in a society with deeply rooted racial inequalities. It explores how racework operates in three realms: public spaces, the internal dynamics of relationships, and in the construction of interracial identities. Comparing the experiences of gay and lesbian partners with heterosexual partners, it argues that sexuality and gender play a significant role in how partners use racework in negotiating public spaces and identities, but a minor role in how partners deal with inequalities inside their relationship. With a focus on racework, this book positions interracial intimacy as an ongoing process, rather than as a singular accomplishment.
Juliet Hooker
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190633691
- eISBN:
- 9780190633714
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190633691.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Theory
This chapter analyzes the work of the later W. E. B. Du Bois. It argues that racial mixture was a key lens through which Du Bois moved beyond the United States and extended his analysis of the global ...
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This chapter analyzes the work of the later W. E. B. Du Bois. It argues that racial mixture was a key lens through which Du Bois moved beyond the United States and extended his analysis of the global color line. Du Bois has been read as having a narrow, indeed essentialist, conception of black identity in the service of a project of African American racial uplift. This chapter argues that mixture was an important theme in Du Bois’s writings, as gendered and sexualized debates about interracial intimacy were at the core of racial politics during the early decades of the twentieth century. Analyzing Du Bois’s “mulatto fictions,” such as Dark Princess, through the lens of Afro-futurism, I argue that iconographies of racial mixture allowed Du Bois to imagine a yet-to-be Global South in which people of color forged transnational political alliances during the first half of the twentieth century.Less
This chapter analyzes the work of the later W. E. B. Du Bois. It argues that racial mixture was a key lens through which Du Bois moved beyond the United States and extended his analysis of the global color line. Du Bois has been read as having a narrow, indeed essentialist, conception of black identity in the service of a project of African American racial uplift. This chapter argues that mixture was an important theme in Du Bois’s writings, as gendered and sexualized debates about interracial intimacy were at the core of racial politics during the early decades of the twentieth century. Analyzing Du Bois’s “mulatto fictions,” such as Dark Princess, through the lens of Afro-futurism, I argue that iconographies of racial mixture allowed Du Bois to imagine a yet-to-be Global South in which people of color forged transnational political alliances during the first half of the twentieth century.
Angela McCarthy and T.M. Devine
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781526119056
- eISBN:
- 9781526128201
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526119056.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
From his first arrival in Ceylon, James Taylor showed awareness of the ethnic diversity of the population, especially Tamil and Sinhalese estate labour. This chapter examines his impressions of the ...
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From his first arrival in Ceylon, James Taylor showed awareness of the ethnic diversity of the population, especially Tamil and Sinhalese estate labour. This chapter examines his impressions of the workforce and those of other peoples whom he encountered during his four decades in Ceylon. Particular attention is given to his perceptions at the time of the Indian ‘Mutiny’ and his graphic testimony of that event. His opinions are not treated in a vacuum but within the broader context of nineteenth-century racial thought. The chapter concludes with a tantalising account of his intimate interracial encounters.Less
From his first arrival in Ceylon, James Taylor showed awareness of the ethnic diversity of the population, especially Tamil and Sinhalese estate labour. This chapter examines his impressions of the workforce and those of other peoples whom he encountered during his four decades in Ceylon. Particular attention is given to his perceptions at the time of the Indian ‘Mutiny’ and his graphic testimony of that event. His opinions are not treated in a vacuum but within the broader context of nineteenth-century racial thought. The chapter concludes with a tantalising account of his intimate interracial encounters.
