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Race and Interactions on Public Transportation: Social Cohesion and the Production of Common Norms and a Collective Black Identity
Author(s) -
Raudenbush Danielle T.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
symbolic interaction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.874
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1533-8665
pISSN - 0195-6086
DOI - 10.1002/symb.36
Subject(s) - cohesion (chemistry) , collective identity , normative , social psychology , sociology , social identity theory , social group , psychology , political science , politics , chemistry , organic chemistry , law
In this article, I examine interactions on public transportation in order to assess social cohesion among members of the same race. Contrary to the prevailing view of social cohesion in urban places, I find that individuals in poor, black areas demonstrate more social cohesion than individuals in more affluent, white areas. This cohesion is meaningful as it plays a role in the production of common notions of a particular black reality and collective black identity, and that it serves a normative function in defining appropriate behaviors. I use Goffman's idea of civil inattention as a heuristic for studying social cohesion.