The influence of the family on interracial intimate relationships in post-apartheid South Africa

This study sought to identify and explore discourses on interracial intimate relationships, and to investigate their possible intersections with discourses on racism. Thompson's method of depth hermeneutics, of which critical discourse analysis is a component, was employed to analyse data generated by two focus group discussions and interviews with two heterosexual, interracial couples. The original study demonstrated the way in which discourses on interracial intimate relationships in post-apartheid South Africa intersect with discourses on race and racism. This article restricts its focus to how discourses related to the family were employed in order to deny, negate and justify opposition to interracial intimate relationships. The article ultimately demonstrates how the ideological construction of the family may be seen as maintaining a racially stratified South African society.