Date of Graduation
1952
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Sociology and Anthropology
Abstract
This thesis is an analysis of Negro-white contacts within the city limits of Morgantown, West Virginia.
The specific hypothesis is that contacts which Negroes have with whites vary in frequency and intensity according to the institutional or neighborhood settings in which they occur, and with the age and sex of the individuals involved.
A supplementary thesis is that the attitudes of Negroes toward whites are conditioned by the contacts they have with whites.
The investigative techniques employed were those of personal interview, schedule and first hand observation of the author.
The study revealed the following conclusion: Contacts with whites exists for all of the Negroes of Morgantown. The majority of the contacts are institutionalized and are different for different classes and categories of people. Negroes of the professional class have more contacts within the institutions which are highly rated by the values of our society than do Negroes of lower occupational status. Most of the contacts between the adults of the two races occur in occupational and business relations and involve very little intimacy. The contacts between the children of the two races occur mostly in recreation and are of a more intimate nature. There is considerable suspicion and distrust between the two races, but the Negroes are anxious to be accepted as equals by whites.
Recommended Citation
Williams, Ellis Ray, "Contacts of Negroes and Whites in Morgantown" (1952). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 10349.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/10349