The Color of Romance: Exploring MisRepresentations of Interracial Relationships in Television Media:

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The Color of Romance Exploring
(Mis)Representations of InterracialRelationships
in Television MediaA Sociological Study in
Race/Media Issues

• Kelsey Woods
• John Foran, Sociology
• Bryan Kim, Graduate Department of Education,
  Counseling Psychology
  
• Amanda Stansell, Writing

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Media as Technology

• Media (as social abstraction) Hypothesized to
  influence the normalization process of social
  phenomena

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Existing Social Theory

• Problems
• 1. No common vocabulary among researchers
• a. interracial relationships
• b. interdating/marriage, outdating (Fujino),
  racial exogamy
  
• c. Miscegenation
• 2. Interesting but outdatedtheoretical framework
  lacks real world application
  

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Social Proximity Theorists

• YancyPropinquity (psychology)
• FujinoGroup Size Relativity (sociology)
• JoynerRacially heterogeneous background

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Socio-environmental Theorists

• Mandacgroup vitality (communications)
• Mills et al.nurture

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Questions

• Are these theories relevant in contemporary
  interdating/marriage circumstances?
  
• If so, are they represented (accurately) in
  television media?
  
• More importantly, does the general public take
  notice?
  
• Or, are there other things we should look at?

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Preliminary studies

• Non random sample (n5)
• Interview survey design (15 minutes each)
• Conducted in Fall 2004
• Limitations
• Sample population (not diverse, random, or big
  enough)
  
• BUT, the population makes the study interesting

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Findings

• Theories not represented accurately largely
  because they are vastly underrepresented
  (according to interviewees)
  

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More importantly

• Misrepresentation of interracial romance in the
  following ways
  
• 1) The popular Love Conquers All mentality.
• a. Mariya
• 2) Due to lack of minorities in media,
  interracial relationships are skewed
  
• a. Cat
• b. Pete

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So, what now?

• Study sophistiphication
• Quantitative/Qualitative
• Hybrid Design
• Survey (data analysis) Interviews (explorative
  substantiation)
  
• Human Subjects
• Undergrad Research Creative Activities (URCA)
  Funding
  

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Here we have a fork in the road

• Do I
• 1) Try to discredit existing theories pertinence
  to the contemporary interrelationship dynamic
  
• 2) Suggest television media as alternate
  facilitator of interracial romance and theorize
  television as social learning institution
  
• Not really where I want to go with this, but
  opens up some interesting
  

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fork in the road

• 2) Suggest television media as alternate
  facilitator of interracial romance and prove
  television as social learning institution
  
• Not really where I want to go with this, but
  opens up some interesting inquiries
  
• How would accurate representation of interracial
  relationships in television media affect the
  normalization process?
  

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Feedback

• Suggestions on survey design revision
• To Do
• Data Analysis
• Content Analysis (interview transcriptions)