Race Cognizance and Colorblindness: Effects of Latino/Non-Hispanic White Intermarriage
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Date
2014-12
Authors
Vasquez-Tokos, Jessica
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race
Abstract
Latino racial/ethnic intermarriage has grown over time, increases with each generation in the United States, and occurs most frequently with non-Hispanic Whites. This article answers the question: How does intermarriage change racial/ethnic consciousness for both partners? Drawing on in-depth interviews with thirty intermarried Latinos and non-Hispanic Whites, I critique assimilation, Whiteness, and colorblindness theories, finding two predominant racial consciousness outcomes of intermarriage: race cognizance and racial colorblindness. First, intermarriage can enhance Whites’ understanding of race/ethnicity and racism, a phenomenon I call race cognizance. Second, intermarriage can produce colorblind discourse that focuses on similarity, yet in ways inconsistent with colorblind racism. Racial consciousness varies by ethnicity: most intermarried Whites reported race cognizance, an outcome unforeseen by traditional theories of integration, whereas Latinos more often espoused colorblindness. These understandings are used in different contexts: race cognizance is stimulated by the public domain, whereas colorblindness is evoked in private space. These findings demonstrate that racial consciousness is fluid, and influenced by intermarriage and ethnicity.
Description
Keywords
Intermarriage, Latinos, Whiteness, Race, Assimilation, Racial Attitudes, Colorblindness
Citation
Vasquez JM. RACE COGNIZANCE AND COLORBLINDNESS: Effects of Latino/Non-Hispanic White Intermarriage. Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race. 2014;11(2):273-293. doi:10.1017/S1742058X14000174