Doing Multiculturalism: An Interactionist Analysis of the Practices of a Multicultural Sorority

Abstract

Despite the many references to multiculturalism in academic works and media accounts, we know little about what it is like in practice. Drawing on data from interviews, ethnographic observations, and archival materials from a multicultural sorority chapter, this article highlights three main ways its members do multiculturalism: (1) recognizing and valuing differences, (2) teaching and learning about differences, and (3) bridging differences via personal friendships and organizational alliances. Broad racial ideologies and the culture of the university and the Greek system, however, created the conditions under which sorority members do multiculturalism, including their focus on some differences (e.g., race, ethnicity, and sexual identity) and neglect of others (i.e., class and gender). While the multicultural sorority sought to lessen racial divisions on campus and their approach opposed colorblind ideology, they presented little challenge to the hegemony of the campus Greek system. This study has implications for understanding Greek Letter Organizations, multiculturalism as a collective practice, and how countering colorblind ideology can reproduce other inequality-legitimating ideologies.