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Guess who’s coming to dinner now?: perspectives on interracial relationships Johl, Valgeet
Abstract
Ethnomethodological studies have analyzed everyday activities with an intent to make those activities “visibly-rational-and-reportable-for-all-practical-purposes” (Garfinkel: 1 967). In that tradition, the current study offers an analysis of a seemingly unconventional pattern in mate selection that is based upon data collected through participant observation of, and unstructured interviews with interracial couples. The research suggests that greater frequency of contact between individuals of different racial backgrounds is likely to generate larger numbers of interracial relationships. This is in large part due to the fact that under such circumstances individuals become more aware of their similarities, and less conscious of the differences between them. The findings also suggest that the variables of age, geographic location of the couple, the relative socio-economic status of the couple and their family and friends, as well as the degree to which the individuals and their families have assimilated to Western traditions affect not only the success or failure of interracial relationships, but also the nature of the reactions that their relationship is likely to elicit. In the process of presenting and illuminating the findings the study incorporates discussion on the topics of mate selection options, actual choices, the couples’ interactions interpersonally, as well as with family, friends and the larger community, and portraits of interracial couples in various forms of media. In addition, a series of appendices are provided, listing specific media portraits of these couples, existing support groups serving this community, and an account of the researcher’s personal relationship to the field.
Item Metadata
Title |
Guess who’s coming to dinner now?: perspectives on interracial relationships
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1994
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Description |
Ethnomethodological studies have analyzed everyday activities with an intent to make those
activities “visibly-rational-and-reportable-for-all-practical-purposes” (Garfinkel: 1 967).
In that tradition, the current study offers an analysis of a seemingly unconventional pattern in
mate selection that is based upon data collected through participant observation of, and
unstructured interviews with interracial couples. The research suggests that greater frequency
of contact between individuals of different racial backgrounds is likely to generate larger
numbers of interracial relationships. This is in large part due to the fact that under such
circumstances individuals become more aware of their similarities, and less conscious of the
differences between them. The findings also suggest that the variables of age, geographic location
of the couple, the relative socio-economic status of the couple and their family and friends, as
well as the degree to which the individuals and their families have assimilated to Western
traditions affect not only the success or failure of interracial relationships, but also the nature
of the reactions that their relationship is likely to elicit. In the process of presenting and
illuminating the findings the study incorporates discussion on the topics of mate selection
options, actual choices, the couples’ interactions interpersonally, as well as with family,
friends and the larger community, and portraits of interracial couples in various forms of
media. In addition, a series of appendices are provided, listing specific media portraits of these
couples, existing support groups serving this community, and an account of the researcher’s
personal relationship to the field.
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Extent |
1812367 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-02-26
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0087348
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1994-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.