Crossing the Line: Interracial Couples in the South

Despite the increased number of interracial marriages in recent years, Black/White couples still experience a host of problems in American society, particularly in the South. Drawing on extensive interviews with 28 Black/White couples living in the South, this ethnographic study describes the issues and obstacles these couples have to face and documents their overwhelming sense of social isolation. The problems include hostility, encountered while the couple is in public, ranging from stares to outright attacks, as well as a lack of support and ostracization by their families. After discussing the nature of Black/White relationships and the historical implications of interracial couples--beginning with slavery--the authors adopt a life history approach, which allows them to probe deeply into the meaning of the interviewees' responses.

ROBERT P. MCNAMARA is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Furman University, in Greenville, South Carolina. He has published numerous scholarly articles and several books, includingThe Times Square Hustler: Male Prostitution in New York City (Praeger, 1994),Social Gerontology: Selected Readings (edited with David E. Redburn, Auburn House, 1998), andPolice and Policing: Second Edition (edited with Dennis J. Kenney, Praeger, 1999).

MARIA TEMPENIS is currently pursuing her doctorate in Sociology at Vanderbilt University. She has published articles on race, religion and policing, the homeless, and urban redevelopment.

BETH WALTON is currently in the Master of Social Work program at the University of Georgia. After obtaining her M.S.W. she plans to practice as a medical social worker.