Creolized family patterns among divorced mixed couples: Caribbean and White British families in London

People from the Caribbean have been coming to Britain and forming ‘mixed’ couple relationships with people in British society since the early stages of colonialism. However, these relationships became much more common during and after World War II. Consequently, the last 65 years have evinced profound changes in social attitudes and family patterns in British society. On the whole, ‘mixed’ couples live ‘ordinary’ lives (Caballero et al 2012), and do same race couples. They also sometimes experience separation, divorce and re-partnering. This paper is based on a study of thirty-four mixed Anglo African-Caribbean and white British extended families in London across three to four generations going back to the 1950s (Bauer 2010). It illustrates how, through a culture of mixed sociability, these mixed-heritage families have evolved and continue to be created despite family and societal disapproval and racial prejudice. It also illustrates the ongoing modifications and negotiations through which couples and families have responded to changing circumstances, both within their families (nuclear and extended) and the wider society, resulting in new creolized family forms and patterns. In these modifications, the agency of women and the significance of children in the creation and maintenance of kinship (including fictive kinship outside nuclear and genealogical ties) are particularly notable. Finally, the paper shows how their intricate family values and practices are negotiated after these ‘mixed’ couples separate.