Race, Racism and Conjugality: Narratives of an Interracial Couple

This article is an excerpt from a broader research on interracial conjugality which investigates how building this type of relationship contributed to constructing the couple’s marital identity and racial identities, and their joint fight against racism. This qualitative research involved four interviews with an interracial couple, two with a black man and two with a white woman. Data analysis revealed five categories, three of which will be discussed here: “Couple racialization: becoming white, becoming black”; “Experience of racism,” which further unfolds into two subcategories: “Subtlety, relativization and reassuring partner” and “Shared racial suffering”; and “The interracial marital ‘we.’” Recognizing racial differences and legitimizing racializing experiences allowed the couple to rethink their racial positions, contributing to the white partner’s awareness of racism and the construction of marital identity. In conclusion, the recognition of otherness and racism leads partners to think about the racialized “me” from the interracial “us” and to experience together the suffering that afflicts one in particular, strengthening the relationship.

Keywords:
Conjugality; Interracial couple; Racism; Otherness; Recognition