Dr. Jennifer A. Jones, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Sociology will present "We Don't Have Any Problems:" Black-Brown Relations in the 'New South'
The 2010 Census indicates that Latinos account for over half of the nation's growth in the last decade, increasing by 43% since 2000. Although the population of Latinos is still heavily concentrated in traditional receiving states such as California and Arizona, their growth in the New South states has more than doubled. While there is a significant body of research on how minority groups relate to one another in traditional receiving areas, we know very little about inter-minority relations in the 'New South.'
The social science literature on intergroup relations argues that racial and ethnic relations, particularly between minority groups, are rife with conflict and competition. However, in the case of contemporary Mexican migrants in the New South, Dr. Jones finds that Mexicans express a sense of closeness with Blacks. Drawing from an ethnographic case study of Mexican newcomers and native-born residents in North Carolina, Dr. Jones seeks to explain the emergence of positive intergroup relations and collective minority identities among Latinos and African-Americans in the New South. Using data collected between 2008 and 2009 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, she argues that pervasive discrimination due to immigration status drives Mexicans to assert a minority identity, and that African-American leaders are increasingly embracing Mexicans as similarly situated minorities. Her study shows that these positive relations are facilitated by their sense of shared minority status, an absence of resource competition, sustained positive contact, and identifying the common enemy in Whites.
Free event and open to all.
