Walton: Misrecognition and Well-Being

In Misrecognition and Well-being in Culturally White Northern England, author Emily Walton (Sociology, Dartmouth College) examines the social experience of rural racial minorities in a specific geographic context. Walton’s research outlines the social experience of minority populations in “predominantly white and rural Northern New England” and explores how these social interactions impact racialized minorities’ health and sense of belonging.

Walton highlights how rural populations in the United States are becoming increasingly diverse, especially in the Northeast. Walton focuses her research on the fastest changing populations by conducting interviews with rural racial minorities in several Northern New England communities. These interviews helped to develop a conceptual model for the experience of minority populations in rural communities. 

Specifically, Walton noted several key themes throughout her interviews. For example, interviewees described the racism they face in rural areas, describing the community as environment as socially chilly. The article specifically notes the prevalence of misrecognition, which are racially motivated acts of nonattention rather than violence. Several rural racial minority community members reported feeling the need to prove oneself to be accepted by the community and acquiesce in some ways to the predominantly white culture.

The article further discusses how such misrecognition has not just social but also health and wellbeing effects. Many interview respondents described constant feelings of stress and anxiety due to social stigmatization and isolation. Walton identifies how prior research has shown misrecognition to affect both the mental and physical health of racial minority populations, similar to the experience of the interviewees.

While the article focuses on Northern New England, both the conceptual approach and research methodology are more widely applicable for rural researchers. The article emphasizes the effects of modern day racism and racial stigmatization, specifically for the growing population of rural minorities.