7.2: Theoretical Frameworks- Understanding the Family-Race Nexus

The three primary sociological theories provide lenses for analyzing the intersection of family and race. As, Functionalism posits that social institutions exist to fulfill necessary functions for societal stability, from this perspective, the family serves to socialize children, regulate sexual activity, and provide emotional and material security (Parsons and Bales 1955). When applied to race, a Functionalist might focus on how immigrant families act as engines of assimilation, teaching norms and values to the next generation. However, this perspective has been criticized for its conservative bias, often mistaking the White, middle-class family form for the most “functional” and labeling other family structures as “dysfunctional” (Moynihan 1965).

As Conflict theory is geared toward revealing how social institutions perpetuate inequality, from this view, the family is a site where power relations of race, class, and gender are played out. The state, for instance, has historically regulated the family lives of people of color—from laws forbidding marriages between the enslaved to policies forcibly removing Indigenous children from their homes. Conflict theorists argue that such interventions serve to maintain a racial hierarchy by disrupting the social and economic stability of minority communities (Glenn 2002).

With a focus on micro-level interactions, Interactionism would examine how meaning and identity are constructed through everyday interaction within families. This perspective explores how racial and ethnic identities are taught and negotiated at the dinner table, through family stories, and via rituals (Hughes et al. 2006). For example, parents of color engage in ethnic-racial socialization, teaching their children both cultural pride and strategies for coping with discrimination (Umaña-Taylor and Hill 2020).