Jungle Fever: The Social Construction of White Women in Interracial Relationships with Black Men

Abstract

<p>This thesis explores the experiences of six White women in interracial unions with Black men. It explores these experiences through the lens of two organizing frameworks. The first framework explores how the socially constructed hegemonic representations of whiteness and gender impinge and determine the life experiences of these women. Within this framework, the theory of whiteness and the concept of "spoiled identities (Goffman,1963) will be utilized to illustrate how White women's intimate association with Black men spoil their social identity. The second framework explores how and what these women do to negotiate and manage their spoiled identities. While class, ethnicity and age assume an important role in the context of their interracial relationships, race and gender appear to be the prim$try variables which affect their experiences.</p>