What does this research mean for the field?

In postapartheid South Africa, mediated public representations of interracial relationships function as 'interracial publics' that simultaneously normalize cross-racial intimacy and reinscribe historical racial and gendered hierarchies. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To examine how interracial publics emerge in postapartheid South Africa and how mediated representations of cross-racial intimacy shape ongoing negotiations of race, visibility, and belonging.

September 14, 2026Current AnthropologyOpen Access

Interracial Publics

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SJSebastian JacksonUniversity of Virginia

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Implication

Qualitative media analysis reveals contested negotiations of interracial intimacy across South African media platforms, highlighting how historical racial hierarchies persist in postcolonial...

Key Points

To examine how interracial publics emerge in postapartheid South Africa and how mediated representations of cross-racial intimacy shape ongoing negotiations of race, visibility, and belonging.
Conducted ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth qualitative interviews.
Analyzed representations of cross-racial relationships across print, broadcast, and digital media platforms in postapartheid South Africa.
Mediated displays of interracial intimacy normalize historically forbidden relationships while simultaneously reinforcing racial hierarchies through gendered and sexualized discourses.
Historical mechanisms of racial governance and white supremacy rooted in settler colonialism and apartheid persist in contemporary public debates over cross-racial desire and belonging.

Cite This Study

Sebastian Jackson (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aa7b2f70926e14a848b186d https://doi.org/10.1086/742629

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Implication

Qualitative media analysis reveals contested negotiations of interracial intimacy across South African media platforms, highlighting how historical racial hierarchies persist in postcolonial...

Interracial Publics

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Interracial Publics

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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Also Consider