Abstract
Previous research has produced numerous studies on the dynamics of interracial relationships. However, there is still a gap in the existing research concerning how whiteness and white privilege impacts interracial relationships. This qualitative study sought to examine how whiteness and white privilege impacts interracial relationships when one person in the relationship identifies as white and their partner identifies as a person of color. I conducted in-depth interviews with four interracial couples who had one person in the relationship that identified as white and their partner identified as a person of color. Each couple participated in a dyadic interview and then proceeding the dyadic interview, each persons in the relationship participated in a separate individual interview. The findings of this research conclude that whiteness and white privilege impacts interracial relationships in the following ways: 1) the racial salience of the relationship 2) the acknowledgment of privilege in the relationship, and, 3) the whiter the couple looked the less racism/discrimination that they faced.
Advisor
Kristen Treinen
Committee Member
Justin Rudnick
Committee Member
Shannon Miller
Date of Degree
2018
Language
english
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
College
Arts and Humanities
Recommended Citation
Gruenes, A. (2018). "It's Because You Are White": A Qualitative Study on the Impact of Whiteness and White Privilege in Interracial Relationships [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/814/
Creative Commons License
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Included in
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