It’s actually not funny
A critical dramaturgical analysis of race, communication, and humor for individuals in Black-white romantic relationships
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24138300 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Salimata Lala Fall (0000-0003-1893-6811, East Stroudsburg University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-19 |
| Publication date | 2026-08-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociological Spectrum (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0273-2173 • E-ISSN: 1521-0707 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02732173.2026.2715408 |
| OpenAlex | W7204214919 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 32 |
In this study, I examine how humor operates within Black–white interracial romantic relationships, focusing on its role in managing racialized interactions. Drawing on in-depth interviews, I introduce Critical Dramaturgy, a novel theoretical framework that integrates Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis with critical race theories to foreground how race, power, and positionality shape impression management. My findings reveal that humor serves distinct dramaturgical functions linked to one’s racial positioning: white partners often deploy humor to manage impressions and avoid appearing racist, while Black partners use humor to navigate bias, critique whiteness, and negotiate racial hierarchies. Together, these dynamics reveal that seemingly innocuous humor reproduces racial power, sustaining whiteness and reinscribing the subjugation of Blackness. This study advances scholarship on interracial intimacy, racialized labor, and impression management by showing how relational practices that appear humorous carry profound racial consequences. In doing so, Critical Dramaturgy offers a broader analytic lens for examining how the racialized social order is reproduced through routine performances across social and intimate contexts, illuminating the disproportionate burdens placed on Black persons and the racialized relational asymmetries that structure social life.
Affect (linguistics) · Qualitative analysis · Romance · Humor Studies and Applications · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Rhetoric and Communication Studies
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Beyond Loving
The White Racial Frame
Purposeful Sampling for Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis in Mixed Method Implementation Research
A Systematic Review of Black People Coping With Racism
Partner Accuracy in Humor Perception and Associations With Relationship Satisfaction
“Come back home, sista!”
Are Americans Really in Favor of Interracial Marriage? A Closer Look at When They Are Asked About Black-White Marriage for Their Relatives
Black Critical Theory in Action
What do you call a Black guy who flies a plane?”
Cracking wise to break the ice
Racial Heterosexual Habitus” and Management of Racial Education Discussions Within Black Female/White Male Romantic Relationships 1
An Interdependence Approach to Relationship Maintenance in Interracial Marriage
Exploring Parental Approval and Disapproval for Black and White Interracial Couples
Intimate racism from one's partner in young intercultural couples
Interactions Between Smokers and Non-Smokers in Public Places
Critical race theory as theoretical framework and analysis tool for population health research
Leon Rappoport , Punchlines
Mapping the Margins
Asking Questions
Guess Who's Been Coming to Dinner? Trends in Interracial Marriage over the 20th Century
He was socialized to believe that it's normal
Race doesn't matter
Learning from the Outsider Within
Racism without Hatred? Racist Humor and the Myth of 'Colorblindness
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |