Abstract
Social boundaries associated with ‘race’ and identity and the historical legacy of European dominance have become increasingly contested in our contemporary world. With broader public discussions emerging about mixed-race, bi-racial and interracial identities, anti-black stereotyping and problems of white historical amnesia, privilege/ignorance, and the legitimacy of age-old symbols of white European colonial domination under new public scrutiny, it is imperative for critical social research to investigate the roles, complex lived experiences, shifting identities and radicalised othering of mixed race people in Europe’s past and present. This paper presents the planned research of our new international network on ‘mixed relationships’ - the lived experiences and identities of interracial couples and the historical legacy of racialised discourses/ intersectional stereotypes of interracial relationships in European societies. It explores four key objectives of our new research project: 1. Gain an original, historically grounded insight into the complex and shifting experiences and identities of Black/white interracial families in Europe 2. Explore the role of intersecting markers of identity/difference (e.g., ‘race’, ethnicity, religion, nation, gender) in the identity constructions of interracial families 3. Examine the role of digital media as a space for mixed-race peoples’ self-representation – a space that potentially provides a ‘voice’ that can be mobilised to create and promote (counter-)-narratives, and challenge stereotypical perceptions and provide a sense of belonging/support 4. Investigate the stereotyping of interracial relationships in Europe from a postcolonial perspective, capture the historical legacy of racist stereotypes of ‘interracial’ relationships in Modern Europe and identify their contemporary repercussions.
Presenters
Iris WiggerSenior Lecturer in Sociology, School of Social Sciences and Humanities , Loughborough University, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Vectors of Society and Culture
KEYWORDS
Mixed-race, Discrimination, Anti-Black racism, White normativity
