Blinkered Vision: Race and Dating in Australia
Do you have a thing for ‘tall, dark and handsome’ types? Are you a gentleman who prefers blondes? Are our romantic types and tastes simply that – matters of taste – or do our preferences reveal deeper prejudices?
Earlier this year, journalist Santilla Chingaipe presented a funny and riveting documentary on SBS, Date My Race, about the role race plays in the world of 21st-century dating. In the documentary, Chingaipe interviewed sociologists, psychologists, research scientists and daters – looking closely at the data to reveal some confronting trends and patterns in Australia’s online dating landscape.
At the Wheeler Centre in May, the conversation around dating and race continues. Host Serpil Senelmis will be joined by sociologist Karen Farquharson and Chingaipe herself for a discussion about conscious and unconscious biases, the factors that drive attraction and the notion that opposites attract. Do racial preferences equal racism? Join us for a discussion of dating today.
Featuring
Serpil Senelmis is an Australian broadcaster with Turkish heritage. She is the co-director of Written & Recorded, a content agency. The West Australian Academy of Performing Arts graduate has worked behind the microphone, in front of the camera and behind the scenes of radio and television progr... Read more
Santilla Chingaipe is a journalist and filmmaker whose work explores migration, cultural identities and politics. She is a regular contributor to the Saturday Paper, and serves as a member of the Federal Government’s Advisory Group on Australia-Africa Relations (AGAAR). Chingaipe wrote and direc... Read more
Karen Farquharson is Professor of Sociology and Head of the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on the sociology of racism, migration, media and sport. Her most recent books are (with Vivienne Waller and Deborah Dempsey) Qualitative Social Res... Read more
