Rural America is undergoing a demographic transition, as the white population decline is matched by a growing movement of racialized minorities into small towns. In the current study, I examine processes of belonging among middle-class racialized minorities living in predominantly white and rural Northern New England. Through an analysis of in-depth interviews with n = 58 individuals of color, I show how “misrecognition,” or the processes through which community members fail to affirm the humanity of others, can lead to diminished well-being. I elaborate a novel conceptual model linking a stigmatizing cultural context (chilly social climate; ignorance and racism) with misrecognition (social distancing; having to prove oneself) and well-being (unease; weariness). The study's main contribution is the generation of theory regarding symbolic boundary processes that undergird racialized minority residents' negotiation of the right to belong in a rapidly changing rural America.

中文翻译：

---

新英格兰北部白人文化的误认与幸福感☆

美国农村地区正在经历人口结构转型，白人人口减少，少数族裔人口不断涌入小城镇。在当前的研究中，我研究了生活在以白人为主的新英格兰北部农村地区的中产阶级少数族裔的归属过程。通过对n人的深度访谈分析 = 58 名有色人种，我展示了“误认”或社区成员未能肯定他人人性的过程如何导致幸福感下降。我阐述了一种新颖的概念模型，将污名化的文化背景（寒冷的社会气候；无知和种族主义）与错误识别（社交距离；必须证明自己）和幸福感（不安；疲倦）联系起来。该研究的主要贡献是产生了有关象征性边界过程的理论，这些理论在快速变化的美国农村中巩固了少数族裔居民的归属权谈判。