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/lp/university-of-chicago-press/the-diversity-contract-constructing-racial-harmony-in-a-diverse-yfbSIj9ZAK
- Publisher
- University of Chicago Press
- Copyright
- © 2021 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.
- ISSN
- 0002-9602
- eISSN
- 1537-5390
- DOI
- 10.1086/714499
- Publisher site
- See Article on Publisher Site
Abstract
Although theorists argue that ideology and material conditions emerge in relation to one another, the connection between racial ideology and place is undertheorized. Analyzing in-depth interviews (N=109) with residents of a racially diverse suburb—Fort Bend County, Texas—the author uncovers a local racial ideology that they term the diversity contract. In contrast to colorblindness, which requires avoidance of race talk, residents exhibit selective engagement: race is recognized for certain purposes—including to celebrate diversity—but recognition of racial inequality in the community is disallowed. Through the diversity contract, residents co-construct the appearance of racial harmony. The author theorizes that this ideology emerges in highly selective, socioeconomically homogeneous diverse suburbs and finds preliminary support for this theory through comparative interviews in Queens County, New York (N=20). Overall, findings suggest that place should be centralized in analyses of racial ideology and illustrate how racial inequality is upheld through different ideologies across varying local contexts.
Journal
American Journal of Sociology – University of Chicago Press
Published: May 1, 2021