Date of Completion

2025

Document Type

Honors College Thesis

Department

Sociology

Thesis Type

Honors College

First Advisor

Jennifer Lai

Second Advisor

Tyler Doggett

Third Advisor

Jonathan Shaffer

Keywords

Critical Race Theory, Cultivation Theory, Interracial Relationships, Race Relations

Abstract

As norms regarding race and interracial relationships have evolved, so have depictions of these topics in Hollywood films. Yet portrayals in some ways have remained the same. This raises the question of how have changing ideas about race and interracial relationships influenced portrayals in film over the past 6 decades. Because so many people watch movies, how can depictions of interracial relationships influence audience beliefs and behaviors? In this study, 2 major codes emerged from a coding analysis of 6 films spanning from the 1970s to the 2020s: Familial Approval and Racial Cohesion. Utilizing a Critical Race Theory lens, it is shown that Familial Approval evolved throughout the sample as a reflection of the changing acceptability of racism while Racial Cohesion remained the same as it reflected the continued differentiation of people through racial categories. A Cultivation Theoretical perspective was also applied to show that the overarching commonality of conflict can perpetuate interracial romance stigmatization and influence behavior towards interracial couple formations among audiences.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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