Play on White: The Intimate Politics of (Be)Longing

Differences in race/ethnicity, class, sexuality, gender, nationality, ability, religion, and age can easily become barriers to intimacy. Women of Color, for example, detail countless instances in which they came together with White women, hopeful and expectant, but were left standing alone. Attempting to bridge such fundamental differences often induces tensions that appear insurmountable. So what accounts for friendships that develop and flourish across social location? In this chapter, we return to the roots of our 13-year friendship, born of evident difference and emergent sameness, in order to expose some of the complex dynamics that enable and constrain the relationship.