Description
Book SynopsisMaintaining Black Marriage: Individual, Interpersonal, and Contextual Dynamics moves beyond the usual demographics in the study of Black marriage to focus on the communication that sustains it. Using original data and secondary research, Marianne Dainton provides the story of Black marriage success and the contexts and communication that contribute to that success. A central feature of this book is the inclusion of Black voices; that is, in addition to original quantitative research on the topic, qualitative data draws on the experiences and opinions of a group of married Black women and married Black men in order to augment, explain, challenge, and reflect the scholarly literature.
Trade ReviewBravo! An entire book devoted to how Black couples in the US sustain their marriages. In the book, Dainton pulls together and systematically examines the existing literature on Black marriages and the results of her own research studies on the marital maintenance behaviors of Black couples. -- Terri Orbuch, Oakland University
Given the paucity of research conducted on Black marriage, Maintaining Black Marriage: Individual, Interpersonal, and Contextual Dynamics provides a much-needed glimpse into the role that relational maintenance plays in African-American marriages. Combining survey research with personal interviews conducted with married African-American couples, Dainton presents readers with an opportunity to delve deeper into the nuances that explain how and why Black marriages are maintained. This book is a must-read for individuals of all backgrounds who have an interest in increasing their knowledge about relational maintenance behaviors and their effects on relational outcomes. -- Scott Myers, West Virginia University
An honest, self-reflective, sensitive, and data-driven volume that makes an important contribution to the communication research literature about long-term relational communication among African Americans. For over two decades Professor Dainton continues to be a leading voice in this area of family communication, and her new volume represents a much-needed and most-welcomed addition. It is a must-read for those who study the intersection of family communication and ethnic culture. -- Thomas J. Socha, Old Dominion University
Table of ContentsContents Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Issues in Research on Black Marriage Chapter 2: Structural Factors Influencing the Success of Black Marriage Chapter 3: Behaviors that Maintain Marriage Chapter 4: The Intersection of Race and Sex in Marital Maintenance Chapter 5: The Role of Religion in Maintaining Black Marriage Chapter 6: Conclusions, Limitations, and Future Directions Appendix A: The Quantitative Study Appendix B: The Qualitative Study References About the Author
