Resisting and complying with homogamy: Interracial couples' narratives about partner differences

This paper discusses how interracial couples both resist and comply with the prevailing ideology and racial logic of homogamy through their use of dominant and subordinate discourses around (1) hypersensitivity of the partner of color and (2) history's insignificance. Qualitative interviews with interracial couples reveal their strategic responses to racism in the public context and to racial and ethnic differences in the relationship context. The narratives highlight marginalized "truths" crucial to effective clinical work with interracial couples. Implications for intervention with interracial and intercultural couples are discussed.