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Vancouver is one of the most diverse cities in North America, with 49% of the population identifying as people of colour. However, residents who are racialized as Black or claim an African ethnic origin make up just over 1% of the population. These residents may constitute a hyper-visible minority in the local context, but they are firmly embedded in discourses about Blackness that transcend local geographies. Based on interviews with 35 adult children of immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, this paper explores some of the ways that gendered and sexualized discourses of Blackness shape the lives of men and women in metro Vancouver. Interactions in public spaces include challenges to competency, honesty, and respectability, while private lives are marked by differences in heterosexual desirability that enhance the romantic prospects of men and limit those of women. The following discussion illustrates that processes of racialization are simultaneously gendered and sexualized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of African Diaspora: Transnational Journal of Culture, Economy & Society is the property of Brill Academic Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Sociology is the property of Canadian Journal of Sociology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)