Interracial romance and intercultural tension

[Jabrosky]

There is a certain theme that recurs frequently in some of the story ideas I've generated over the years. I have as my leading male character a white guy who goes to Africa (or the fantastical equivalent thereof) and meets this beautiful black woman who is usually either a queen, a warrior, or both. Although there is usually a mutual attraction between these characters from the get-go, the guy has the challenge of proving himself a worthy husband or other companion for the girl, and ultimately does. The underlying message is that people from visibly different cultures can indeed come together and bond.

It's a theme I still love, but I am having some difficulty handling the inevitable intercultural conflict that comes with this relationship. My problem is that I don't want either the guy or girl's culture to come across as somehow superior to its counterpart. I don't want to tell a story of a "civilized" culture enlightening a "primitive" one, nor do I want one that pits noble savages against a corrupt civilization. On the other hand, there have to be some clear demarcations between the two cultures that go beyond superficial traits like race or aesthetics, or else there's barely any conflict. How can I have two cultures that are very different from each other come together without a bias towards one side?

 

[Steerpike]

Focus on giving both sides equal treatment. Show the good and bad in each side. Maybe the good things about one society complements the good in the other, shores up some of the other side's weaknesses so that they both have something to learn from one another. I think if you portray them both as societies with strengths and weaknesses, and both full of people that run the full spectrum of good and bad, it will be hard to anyone to get the impression of bias. Even on the interracial romance angle, you may have both sides full of people who oppose it, and some more understanding people on each side who support them. I think that is even-handed and also realistic. I had a girlfriend in college who was black, and I can tell you we got plenty of criticism from both blacks and whites who didn't like the idea of it.

Also, treat both sides as sophisticated entities with their own agency and their own motivations. Looking at when the European settlers came to the new world, for example. That's one situation that often gets painted as a sort of noble savage situation, where the simple-minded indians help the Europeans and are betrayed. If you look more deeply, you see that the indian leader was quite savvy, and had his own politics to worry about, and his own conflicts with other tribes, and his dealing with the settlers were as much a result of his own careful analysis and self-interest as anything. If you take the side that the average 'western' viewer would consider less civilized and given them complex motivations, concerns, etc. then I think you avoid a lot of the issues you're talking about.

 

[Jabrosky]

Focus on giving both sides equal treatment. Show the good and bad in each side. Maybe the good things about one society complements the good in the other, shores up some of the other side's weaknesses so that they both have something to learn from one another.

That's a good idea. I guess this makes my task one that requires quite a bit of world-building for both cultures, which should be fun.

 

[Mara Edgerton]

I think Steerpike put the matter quite well. I'd only add that as long as you believe these two cultures are equals--each with their own strengths and weaknesses--your readers will too.

What you might want to do, in fact, is write an honest critique of each culture from the other culture's point of view as part of your pre-writing. That might help you narrow down where each culture succeeds and fails.

Good luck with this!

 

[Jabrosky]

All right, so far I have the white male lead come from a small "barbarian" tribe in an icy polar region. They subsist mainly on hunting big game (e.g. woolly mammoths) and fishing, and their culture emphasizes earning personal honor through merit. On the other hand, the black female lead comes from a large agricultural civilization with monumental religious architecture and a strong monarchy perceived to have divine ancestry and godlike powers (e.g. bringing in the rainy season).

Maybe I should elaborate on this in the World-Building or Brainstorming sections...

 

[Nameback]

Also, try highlighting some of the differences between cultures that aren't objectively positive or negative, but more just a matter of taste. While somewhat more trivial, these things can cause tension in a relationship, be a source of humorous interaction, or an experience where one person introduces their partner to something new and exciting.

Thinking on my own experiences in such relationships, I can say that it's run the whole gamut for me. For example, I've been forced to sit through more Tyler Perry movies than I would care to admit, and it generally makes me grumpy when I have to. That's more on the tension side.

On the humorous side, I once had a girlfriend who told me: "Oh please--malaria is no big deal. I get malaria every time I go home to Ivory Coast. It's like the flu." I was utterly bewildered by this perspective, and found it funny, just as she found humor in my western fearfulness about disease.

On the introduction side, there's too many instances to count--though probably the best thing has been West African food. It bums me out that I can't find any Nigerian/Ghanian/Ivorian places near my house. I miss my ex's mom's home cooking.

Anyway, these are all simple things, none of which paints either culture in a biased light, but which add some everyday depth to what interracial relationships can be like.