The State of the Field in Interracial Communication

Debian Marty

Mark P. Orbe and Tina M. Harris. Interracial Communication: Theory into Practice. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2001. xviii + 326 pages. Bibliography and indices. $46.95 (paper).

A textbook in interracial communication is both sorely needed and long overdue. The delay may be attributed, in part, to the inherent challenges in writing such a text. The topic must be addressed with great sensitivity, for the power inequities that shape race relations in the United States raise complex issues for interracial communication. Prospective audiences for such a text reflect these complexities, as people possess a wide range of disparate and sometimes incommensurate views on interracial communication.

Consequently, the authors must consider carefully how they present every aspect of this topic. They need to take into account the power inequities as they represent different racial groups, analyze their interracial communication dilemmas, and assess the relevant research. To convey their findings with credibility, the authors must declare their racial identities and anticipate their potential or perceived impact on their perspectives. This explicit self-identification, however, clashes with the normative expectations in textbook publishing, including a "neutral" expert tone and a bland "generic student" audience. The fact that Mark P. Orbe and Tina M. Harris co-authored "Interracial Communication: Theory into Practice" amidst these and other complex dynamics is in itself a significant accomplishment.

Orbe and Harris address these complexities at the outset. "We don’t believe," they write, "that there will be any one person who will agree with everything that is included. What we do believe, however, is that the book provides a comprehensive foundation from which dialogue on interracial communication can emerge" (xiv). The book’s foundation ranges across theory and practice in a wide array of interracial contexts. The first section opens with a rationale and process for studying interracial communication. An analytical framework is developed over the next several chapters, which cover the history of race, the power of language, the development of racial identities, the intersectionality of identities, and various theoretical approaches. The second half is dedicated to an exploration of specific interracial contexts, including friendships, romantic relationships, organizations, public and small group settings, and the mass media. The final chapter focuses on practical application.

The analytical framework builds on the social constructionist orientation to "race." Although this approach is well established in the interdisciplinary literature, its presentation often has been inaccessible for undergraduates. Orbe and Harris clearly and concisely explain how the concept of "race" evolved in ways subject to social and political forces, rather than biological fact. They also incorporate standpoint theory and the more recent concept of "intersectionality"—the multiple, overlapping identities we each inhabit—into their framework. This approach allows the authors to offer a more sophisticated analysis of the multiple standpoints that shape our world views and, of course, our communication practices. It also acknowledges racial inequities, historically created and maintained by European Americans.

The authors’ attention to racial power disparities requires that they carefully define key terms, such as ethnocentrism, prejudice, discrimination, and racism. To avoid confusion, Orbe and Harris distinguish the terms according to power differentials (including the often challenged definition of racism as "racial prejudice + societal power"). Ultimately, they declare, "meaning is created not by the words themselves, but how the words are interpreted by both parties" (51). The question then becomes how to motivate "both parties" to work together across racial differences and power disparities.

Orbe and Harris respond with an emphasis on community building. Citing M. S. Peck, the authors identify six characteristics of "true community: inclusiveness, commitment, consensus, contemplation, vulnerability, and graceful fighting" (18). They emulate these characteristics in their writing. They offer personal reflections on various topics, suggest discussion guidelines for productive communication, and, at the end of each chapter, list exercises that promote further investigation. Most significantly, Orbe and Harris commit to use "this body of knowledge to improve race relations in the United States" (9).

Their ability to fulfill this commitment, however, is compromised by the state of interracial communication research. Throughout the text, Orbe and Harris must declare that there is little or no research in a given area, whether it concerns interracial friendship selection or coping mechanisms in interracial romantic relationships. The research that is available, the authors acknowledge, results in a largely black-white racial binary that structures the text (xv). Furthermore, the state of the field often is outdated (the authors rely considerably on research from the 1970s), or has produced studies that either reinforce stereotypes or posit European Americans as the point of comparison for all other racial groups (47). Consequently, one of the clearest messages this textbook conveys is the dire need for updated and substantive research from communication scholars.

Not all of the limitations can be ascribed to the research gaps in the field, however. The most significant concern I have is the authors’ exclusive emphasis on "effective" interracial communication and the limited concrete support offered on behalf of this goal. Any context permeated by power inequities allows dominant communicators to be "effective" at the expense of disempowered others. Within interracial communication contexts, unilateral standards of effectiveness pose great risks. For one example, dominant and subordinated communicators may have very different goals in their interactions. Thus, they would have disparate standards for success as well as inequitable resources for achieving them. To work through these difficulties, the standard for effectiveness must be joined by an equally developed emphasis on communication ethics. This combination would enable us to identify inequities and to foster mutual standards for successful communication and community building.

Ethical and effective interracial communication depends on cultivating practical communication skills. The authors offer fairly limited support here. They provide very brief discussions of "effective communication strategies" (132; 162-163) and "fostering interracial dialogue" (278-280), as well as a slightly modified approach to speech making (217-228) and a series of "theory into practice" tips. These suggestions, however, assume or mandate specific communication skills rather than teach them. A typical example is the authors’ injunction that we "should provide support and engage in active listening that communicates respect and acknowledgment" (163). Yet, active listening is not defined and exercises are not provided. How will readers know how to do this, let alone do it well?

The authors presumably depend on ground rules for discussion (20-22) to guide skill development. Yet these communication guidelines are only as good as the extent to which they are practicable. A rule so apparently basic as "tolerance and patience are required of all" is limited in its usefulness if readers are not taught what these concepts mean, how to cultivate and practice them, and how to recognize and repair violations. Without such fundamentals, what then could motivate readers to abide by a more controversial rule, such as "forgive yourself and your classmates in advance" for offensiveness? Is it even ethical to mandate forgiveness?

Readers, too, may feel set up by rules that direct them to "respect the courage of some who share things we may find highly objectionable. We may learn the most from their comments" (20). Putting aside the questionable equation that making controversial statements necessarily requires courage, it is even more troubling to mandate respect in such circumstances. Yet, the authors rely on this imperative more than any other. Sara Lawrence Lightfoot’s recent research, however, finds that respect "is commonly seen as deference to status and hierarchy." Moreover, she writes, respect is usually "seen as involving some sort of debt due people because of their attained or inherent position, their age, gender, class, race, professional status, accomplishments, etc." (1999, p. 9). Clearly, this commonsense understanding of respect is not an effective or ethical standard for interracial communication. Core concepts such as respect, tolerance, and empathy need to be explained and explored within the context of power differentials and readers need to be taught how to enact and maintain them.

Two final points of concern. Orbe and Harris are very sensitive to language usage throughout the text, yet they occasionally employ common figures of speech that misattribute causation and responsibility. The most significant of these is the "because clause." For example, the authors ask their readers, "How would you feel if students and teachers alienated you because of the color of your skin?" (150). They also assert, "the women often experienced miscommunication and misunderstandings because of their diverse backgrounds" (151). This usage of the "because clause" is inherently misleading, for the color of a student’s skin and the women’s diverse backgrounds do not cause alienation or misunderstanding. People’s racism or prejudice does. Communication scholars need to refrain from speech patterns that hold diversity accountable for disputes, rather than discrimination.

Last, the representation of gays and lesbians in the book is troublesome. In the chapter on intersectionality, Orbe and Harris describe various identity categories such as abilities, age, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, spirituality, and socioeconomic status. With the exception of the description provided for sexual orientation, each identity category is presented on its own terms and in an affirming manner. The section on sexual orientation, on the other hand, opens with heterosexist sentiments: "Homosexuality has long been regarded as a taboo topic in Western society—‘the sin that cannot be named’/’the love that dare not speak its name’" (106). The next paragraph asserts that "one of the central aspects of gay culture is dealing with dominant (heterosexual) beliefs that see gay and lesbian love as deviant, sinful, and unnatural" (107). Putting aside for the moment that sexual orientation is assigned only to gays and lesbians, the singular and central role that stigma plays in the description is off-putting. Even more problematic is the complete absence of any reference to lesbians and gay men in the chapter on interracial romantic relationships. This presentation needs to be corrected in future editions.

Orbe and Harris’ textbook, Interracial Communication: Theory into Practice, reflects the state of the field of communication and its scholarly and political commitments. As a white instructor teaching in this area, I found the text extremely useful for this generally clear mirror. Its implicit assessment of communication studies and the quality of our research on interracial communication hopefully will motivate many of us to begin or to continue progressive scholarship that can contribute to ethical and effective interracial relationships.

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