Seen and Unseen: How Observable Characteristics Influence Our Interactions

The goal of this project was to understand how observed/perceived characteristics influence people’s interactions. In her article “Black (and Brown) Bodies Out of Place (BOP): Towards a Theoretical Understanding of... [ view full abstract ]

The goal of this project was to understand how observed/perceived characteristics influence people’s interactions. In her article “Black (and Brown) Bodies Out of Place (BOP): Towards a Theoretical Understanding of Systematic Voter Suppression in the United States”, Barbara Combs outlined the theory of “bodies out of place”, and how interactions involving race and their outcomes are symbolic of society’s internalized feelings. To do this project, I first created a data tracking form. Then, I created a list of locations to observe, and then went to those locations and observed, filling out on the form various things about the interaction and the people within the interaction for each interaction I witnessed. The study took place in quickly growing, albeit still rural, Mississippi town with a university. I logged the data of the interactions I observed, and then analyzed it. This project tested the BOP theory and extended it to perceived age and gender as well. I hypothesized that perceived gender, race, and age would have an impact on patterns of interactions between various people. Within this hypothesis, I additionally hypothesized that race would have the biggest impact on the interactions within this study. Upon analyzing data, variation was found in perceived outcome of interactions by gender and race, but not age. Interactions within groups consisting of more than one gender were more likely to have a friendly outcome and less likely to have either an ambivalent or conflictual outcome. Interactions within groups of more than one race were less likely to have a friendly or ambivalent outcome and more likely to entail conflict. Age results were inconclusive. Overall, my first hypothesis was supported, and my second was partially supported. The data are important because it helps indicate the world and social climate that we live in, and makes people aware of the internalized biases they possess. It also demonstrates the importance of considering place when attempting to understand interactions.