Interracial Relationships in the 21st Century

Interracial Relationships in the 21st Century is an edited book that features chapters by leading scholars who study race, ethnicity, sexuality, and relationships. This second edition of the book features a new chapter that analyzes the most recent data on interracial marriages and multi-racial identity gathered in the 2010 US Census. The new first chapter also explores the impact of the election of the first African American president, Barack Obama, on the racial climate in the United States. Specifically, we explore the degree to which his election signals or establishes a post-racial America, a site of contested terrain among scholars as well as public commentators and intellectuals. The second edition of the book retains all of the original chapters that explore such topics as the relationship between religious beliefs and interracial marriage, interracial relationships among same-sex couples, the experiences of multi-racial children, intimate partner violence and interracial relationships, racial identity, and the marriage climate.

"Interracial Relationships in the 21st Century brings together key scholars addressing equally central questions. This volume remains critical and deeply insightful across a wide variety of issues regarding interracial relationships — from domestic violence to sexualities. This powerful and timely book is a must for those who want to understand the continuing legacy of racism and the creative agency within such a legacy." — Dr. David L. Brunsma, Professor in the Department of Sociology, Virginia Tech

"Interracial Relationships in the 21st Century, by Earl Smith and Angela Hattery, embarks on a complicated and controversial subject often neglected in the sociological literature. The Smith and Hattery reader thoughtfully examines how individuals navigate interracial relationships and experiences in a variety of social environments. The book is broad in scope and goes beyond interracial relations; exploring inter-faith relationships, interracial relationships among homosexual couples, as well as intimate partner violence in relationships. The strengths of this edited volume are imbedded in its timeliness and relevance to contemporary conversations on the significance of race in the United States, its application of a variety of theoretical approaches, and its use of both qualitative and quantitative methodology to tell the subjects' stories. Interracial Relationships in the 21st Century encourages us to rethink some basic assumptions about interracial relationships within the context of racial, cultural, and religious oppression in the United States. The book is an ideal reader for courses on Social Problems, Women's Studies, and families in the U.S." — Dr. Dorothy Smith-Ruiz, Associate Professor in the Africana Studies Department, University of North Carolina at Charlotte