God is “color-blind”: The problem of race in a diverse Christian fraternity

The following case study utilizes in-depth qualitative interviews and participant observation data in order to examine how color-blindness operates in a diverse Christian fraternity. The color-blind ideology functions in two distinct ways: to authenticate the fraternity’s collective religious identi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Critical research on religion
Main Author: Gurrentz, Benjamin T. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage [2014]
In: Critical research on religion
Further subjects:B Young adults
B Christian fraternity
B racial diversity
B College
B color-blind ideology
B Inequality
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:The following case study utilizes in-depth qualitative interviews and participant observation data in order to examine how color-blindness operates in a diverse Christian fraternity. The color-blind ideology functions in two distinct ways: to authenticate the fraternity’s collective religious identity as an inclusive Christian community and to obscure within-group racial inequalities reproduced through tokenizing racist jokes aimed at its non-white members. Color-blind statements allow members to attribute their organization’s racial diversity to their accepting religious doctrine, while also making problems of race within the organization difficult to address. This article provides a theoretical contribution by highlighting the dire implications of ignoring race in diverse religious groups, particularly problematic within the “edgy” joking subculture of Christian fraternities.
ISSN:2050-3040
Contains:Enthalten in: Critical research on religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/2050303214552572