Dear White People: Intercultural Communication Between a Show and Its Audience

Abstract

This paper examines the Netflix original series, “Dear White People” through the lens of intercultural communication and applies the ten core concepts of Identity Negotiation Theory (INT) to its characters. Within the show, the interactions between the students of color and their white counterparts, as well as the battle against prejudiced institutional policies, produces a wide variety of observations critical to the study of intercultural communication. These demonstrate the way in which different aspects of each characters’ identity are constantly affirmed, reaffirmed, challenged, and otherwise negotiated. While the literature available in the area of Identity Negotiation Theory is broad, the application of this, or any other theory for that matter, to the show Dear White People is not present in academia. For that reason, this paper will be applying the theory utilizing academic sources from a variety of backgrounds. This literature is not simply confined to studies, but also resources in defining and identifying Identity Negotiation Theory in various settings. Through the application of these tenants to the characters and situations presented in the series, we see that the recollection of the characters’ narratives and experiences enriches the understanding of intercultural communication between the series and its audiences.