Table Hopping in the Cafeteria: An Exploration of “Racial” Integration in Early Adolescent Social Groups

Abstract

This study, based on qualitative and quantitative methods, concludes that loose‐knit peer groups encourage interracial interaction, whereas cliques do not. The conceptual significance of loose‐knit groups is that they are midway in intimacy between the classroom and cliques, and thus an important intermediate stage in the progression of “race” relations. A practical implication is that knitness is a useful indicator of the effects of the formal organization on voluntary race relations.

Negative contact, collective action, and social change: Critical reflections, technological advances, and new directions

“…Social network research also offers a unique opportunity for researchers to understand more about the individuals who act as bridging ties in social networks-that is, who act as the people who connect across divides-as well as how different network structures and strengths of ties within them might affect political attitudes and behaviors. This point is illustrated by Zisman and Wilson's (1992) mixed-methods study of "table hopping" in school cafeterias in the United States, which found that more loosely tied social networks facilitated interactions across racial divides. That is, young people in loose peer groups moved amongst tables more often than young people in more strongly tied peer groups.…”