Invading Pure Space: Disrupting Black and White Racially Homogenised Spaces

Abstract

Despite widespread abolition of racial segregation, division on the basis of race remains pervasive within many formally integrated societies. This study aims to observe the effects of penetrating segregated spaces within the catering halls of two student residences at a multiracial university in South Africa. Research confederates were deployed to infiltrate specific tables usually occupied by either black or white occupants. The effects of same-race and cross-race infiltration were observed across ten different conditions comprising variations in race and number of confederates. Descriptive analysis revealed a highly ordered spatial organisation of black and white seating patterns. In both dining halls, cross-race infiltration with a racially homogeneous group of confederates had the most notable effects on black and white students' reactions to infiltration. Persistent re-segregation and the use of space as a means of reinstating racial boundaries between black and white students are discussed.