부산대학교 도서관

Arguably, family sociology has witnessed a paradigm shift from a general view of family as a monolithic entity to recognising family pluralism in the last few decades. Recognition and appreciation of diversities such as race, class and gender are at the forefront of this change. This shift includes the construction of day-to-day lives of same-sex households. It should be mentioned that feminist scholars have made important contributions to the role and position of women in families, but lesser contribution has been made to same-sex families' research. Similarly, it has been argued that same-sex family research is one of the important aspects of family scholarship that has not been adequately explored and it is yet to make a serious impact in family studies. In recognition of this gap in family sociology, this study contributes to the existing literature on the emerging familial construction of same-sex households. This study explores the political transition that led to the current visibility of gay identity and interracial intimate relationships that were previously subjugated during apartheid in South Africa. The study is based on an eight-month fieldwork and data were collected through in-depth interviews from 10 interracial gay partners (comprising of 20 gay men). The study found that there is a growing formation of gay men's romantic relationships that transcend colour in post-apartheid South Africa, given the previous history of racial segregation and criminalisation of same-sex attractions as the ‘other’ in the country. The two common ways in which gay men who participated in this study form their household are through face-to-face and computer-mediated relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]