Beyond “Difference”: Examining the Process and Flexibility of Racial Identity in Interracial Marriages

Abstract

This article examines the definitions of “race” used in discussing interracial marriage, arguing that the common framework of “cultural differences” used in existing literature insufficiently describes the range of experiences in interracial marriage. By redefining race as a process of classification that is neither about cultural nor biological “difference,” we use racial formation theory to examine racial identity within interracial marriages and how racial identity might be reclassified as a function of interracial marriage status (i.e., comparing oneself to a different racial group). Finally, we discuss individual‐level implications with respect to how interdependence theory affects racial identity and marital quality in interracial marriages.