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. 2018 Jun;10(2):330-347.
doi: 10.1111/jftr.12264. Epub 2018 Apr 30.

Politics of Respectability, Colorism, and the Terms of Social Exchange in Family Research

Antoinette Landor  1 , Ashley Barr  2
Affiliations

Politics of Respectability, Colorism, and the Terms of Social Exchange in Family Research

Antoinette Landor et al. J Fam Theory Rev. 2018 Jun.

Abstract

In this article, we consider the utility of social exchange theory when centering the material and cultural realities of people and families of color. We draw on critical race and intersectionality scholarship to argue that this work challenges some of the core assumptions of social exchange theory (while reifying others) and offers novel avenues of inquiry and expanded foci for family researchers employing a social exchange framework. We illustrate our points by focusing on existing research and offering new empirical evidence on African Americans, yet we note that our revisioning has broader relevance for relationships between and within other groups and positionalities.

Keywords: African American families; exchange theory; race.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Extent to Which Marital Salience by Relationship Partners Predicts Expectations to Marry Among African American Partners. Note. Couple-level control variables include relationship length, shared child(ren), interracial pairing, and cohabitation status. Individual-level control variables include relationship quality, age, school status, recent unemployment, current full-time employment, and educational attainment. *p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of Female Relationship Distress on Probability of Relationship Dissolution by Men’s Marital Salience.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Skin Tone–Caste Exchange Note. Diagonal arrow represents the exchange.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Status of Romantic Partner by Respondent Skin Tone.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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