Mixed Race Studies

Critical Mixed Race Studies Conference

DePaul University, Lincoln Park Campus
DePaul University Student Center
2250 N. Sheffield
Chicago, Illinois USA 60614
2010-11-05 through 2010-11-06

Sponsored by DePaul University Asian American Studies and Latin American and Latino Studies and co-sponsored by the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University and the MAVIN Foundation.

“Emerging Paradigms in Critical Mixed Race Studies,” the first annual Critical Mixed Race Studies Conference, will be held at DePaul University in Chicago on November 5-6, 2010.

The CMRS conference brings together scholars from a variety of disciplines nationwide. Recognizing that the diverse disciplines that have nurtured Mixed Race Studies have reached a watershed moment, the 2010 CMRS conference is devoted to the general theme “Emerging Paradigms in Critical Mixed Race Studies.”

Critical Mixed Race Studies (CMRS) is the transracial, transdisciplinary, and transnational critical analysis of the institutionalization of social, cultural, and political orders based on dominant conceptions of race. CMRS emphasizes the mutability of race and the porosity of racial boundaries in order to critique processes of racialization and social stratification based on race. CMRS addresses local and global systemic injustices rooted in systems of racialization.

Fanshen Cox, Tiffany Jones, and myself will participate in a Greg Carter (University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) moderated round-table discussion titled “Exploring the Mixed Experience in New Media” on 2010-11-05 from 10:15 to 12:15 CDT at the conference.

View the finalized schedule here.

Organizers:

Wei Ming Dariotis, Assistant Professor Asian American Studies
San Francisco State University, IPride Board
dariotis@sfsu.edu

Camilla Fojas, Associate Professor and Chair
Latin American and Latino Studies
DePaul University

Laura Kina, Associate Professor Art, Media and Design and Director Asian American Studies
DePaul University

Difference and Belonging, Hopes and Fears: Parenting ‘mixed’ children and the implications for career development

International Center for Guidence Studies (iCEGS)
University of Derby
Occasional Paper
2008
16 pages
3 charts; 1 table

Rosalind Edwards, Professor in Social Policy and Director of the Families & Social Capital Research Group
London South Bank University

From the CeGS 10th Annual Lecture held at the University of Derby on 18th December 2007

I am very pleased to give the International Centre for Guidance Studies 10th annual lecture, and to indicate some of the implications of our research on ‘mixed’ families for your field of career development and guidance. I must stress, though, that I am no expert in your field. My interest and experience lies in people’s family lives in general. So, I will do my best in making links between my interest and yours, and I hope that you will be able to fill in any gaps.

In my lecture, I will address some of the debates about how to refer to children and young people who are from a ‘mixed’ racial or ethnic, and maybe also a ‘mixed’ faith, background, and how these relate to the politics of identity. I hope that this will explain to any of you who are perplexed as to why my lecture title refers to ‘mixed’ children. Having done that, I will be moving on to more important issues. I will give you a picture of ‘mixed’ families across Britain, before looking at the ways that parents from different backgrounds attempt to deal with difference and a sense of belonging for their children, how schools may be a resource in this, and their hopes for their children’s future…

Read the entire paper here.

Perceptions of Multiracial Individuals: Categorization Effects on the Race Continuum

Society for Personality and Social Psychology 2011 Annual Meeting
San Antonio, Texas
Poster Session G100
Saturday, 2011-01-29
18:15-19:45 (Local Time), Room TBD

Jacqueline M. Chen
University of California, Santa Barbara

David L. Hamilton, Professor of Psychology
University of California, Santa Barbara

We used a psychophysical approach to studying the categorization of biracials. The point-of-subjective-equality (PSE), or the exact ratio of minority-to-white background that is equally likely to be categorized as White or minority, differed for Asian-White and Black-White biracials. Only the PSE for Asian-White biracial suggested hypodescent.

For more information, click here.

A dissertation: ‘Mixed-race’ identity among young adults in Britain

University of Sussex
2010

Sophie Kingham

This article addresses the various processes through which ‘mixed-race’ identity is constructed with relation to a national British identity. A multiplicity of belongings which are negotiated on an everyday basis were explored and analysed, alongside theoretical issues and problematic terminology. Based on triangulate qualitative research on young ‘mixed-race’ adults in Brighton and Hove, this research found that many factors contributed to the ability to form a positive identity including the ability to define identity in itself, and the negative impact of being ascribed an identity by other parties. The research also found that many participants were able to positively negotiate an English identity irrespective of their race; contradictory to many theories, although predominantly a British identity was preferred as it allowed them to acknowledge other affiliations. However, factors such as transnational and ethnic practices, familial relations, and racial demographic either heightened or lessened their sense of multiple heritages. These multifaceted identities follow common theories of identity construction and highlight the transient nature of culture and nationality. The research adds to the current literature by exploring more diverse heritages and affiliations, building on current literature that primarily focuses on a black/white dichotomy.

Table of Contents

• Abstract
• Acknowledgements
• List of plates and figures

1. Introduction
2. Literature review
   • Terminology
   • Race & Ethnicity
   • Nationalism & Culture
3. Practical methodology and limitations
   • Finding the Participants
   • Statistical Analysis
   • Self-Directed Photography
   • Follow-up Interviews
4. Brighton and Hove’s Ethnicity and Religion statistics
5. Results and analysis
   • Nationality & culture
   • Transnationalism
   • Childhood Family & Home
   • Visual appearance & racial markers difference
6. Conclusion
   • Further Research
7. Bibliography
8. Appendix
   • Census Questions

List of plates and figures

• Table 1: 2001 Census data.
• Figure 1: Jessica celebrating Chinese year with the Asian society
• Figure 2: The children from Tibet that Alex taught.
• Figure 3: Andy with his younger brother.
• Figure 4: The Greek Church in which Nicole was christened

Read the entire paper here.

Passing and Performance in the 21st Century: Black-White Biracial Americans and Passing as Black

American Sociological Association
Annual Meeting 2010
Regular Session: Multi-Racial Classification/Identity
Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Monday, 2010-08-16, 16:30-18:10 EDT (Local Time)
35 pages

Session Organizer: Rebecca C. King-O’Riain, Senior Lecturer of Sociology, National University of Ireland-Maynooth 
Presider: Carolyn A. Liebler, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Minnesota

Nikki Khanna Sherwin, Assistant Professor of Sociology
University of Vermont

Drawing on interview data with black-white biracial adults, I examine the considerable agency most have in asserting their racial identities to others. Extending research on “identity work,” I explore the strategies they use to perform race, and the individual and structural-level factors that limit the accessibility and/or effectiveness of some strategies. I further find that how these biracial respondents identify is often contextual – most identify as biracial, but in some contexts, they “pass” as monoracial. Scholars argue that “passing” may be a relic of the past, yet I find that “passing” still occurs today and quite frequently. Most notably, I find a striking reverse pattern of “passing” today – while “passing” during the Jim Crow era involved “passing” as white, I find that these respondents more often report “passing” as black today. Motivations for “passing” are explored, with an emphasis on “passing” as black.

Read the entire paper here.

White Parents – Black Children: How Parents Contribute to the Development of their Biracial Child’s Identity

American Sociological Association Annual Meeting
Hilton San Francisco
San Francisco, California
2009-08-09
20 pages

Cristina Ortiz
University of Chicago

When a biracial child has one black and one white parent, society tends to identify the child as “black” or “biracial” but rarely as “white”. This study investigates how parents contribute to the development of their biracial child’s identity. Using in-depth, open-ended interviews, my research examines the roles that parents play in negotiating their biracial child’s identity in a racialized society. The findings of my research demonstrate the overwhelming impact that the perceptions of race in society plays in the location, manner, and environment in which parents raise their biracial children. My research has found that these societal perceptions contribute to a shift in a way that parents identify their children and the strategies they use in developing their child’s identity. My findings demonstrate the significance of the one-drop rule in the strategies that these parents use in developing their biracial children’s identity. With the presence of the one-drop rule in our society, the participants in my research have placed more of an emphasis on the development and strengthening of their child’s black identity than their white identity. As the majority of the parents who participated in my research would identify their child as biracial, the strategies utilized in the development of their biracial children’s identity fails to correlate with the way in which they characterized their child’s race.

Read the entire paper here.

Equally Multiracial? A Study of Asian/Whites and Black/Whites

American Sociological Association Annual Meeting
Hilton Atlanta and Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Atlanta, Georgia
2010-08-13
19 pages

Hephzibah Strmic-Pawl
University of Virginia

In a study with 28 individuals with either Asian/White or Black/White descent I find that all the participants prefer some variation of a multiracial identity. However, when investigating how class and gender intersect with race to affect one’s racial identity, I find that Asian/Whites have more positive experiences of their multiracial identity than Black/Whites. This discrepancy is largely due to persistent stereotypical and racist depictions of Blacks and of Asians.

…The Asian/White women in this study spoke of their mixed race identity with pride and ownership, which was often connected to beauty ideals. Their “exotic” look got them attention, most often to White men. One woman, Nancy, 29 years old and a graduate student is often asked “what are you?” When I asked her if that question bothered her, she said:

Uh, honestly I don‘t take offense. I think its kinda cool cause I have people stop me on the streets sometimes or in the elevator or something or when I go to work and meeting new people and they‘ll say,—I‘m sorry, I have to ask you, “what are you?” I always find it intriguing that people can look at me and be like she stands out—she‘s unique. I‘ve been told that I‘m beautiful, that I‘m exotic because I stand out. I actually don‘t mind, I love people questioning.

This woman repeatedly noted that she liked being seen as pretty and that her mixed-race identity did not lead to uncomfortable situations or discrimination. Instead, it was a positive experience for her. All of the Asian/White women noted having predominantly or all White partners (as well as White friends), revealing, I argue that their beauty is acceptable by the standards of the dominant White society. None of them remarked on having problems with dating or finding a partner; in fact one Asian/White woman, Kelly, 22 years old, and an artist, actually remarked that she often found men that have an “Asian fetish” men that were particularly attracted to the cultures and physical looks associated with Asian. This woman also noted that she enjoyed being “ethnically ambiguous” and that others were attracted to this feature; she notes:

I actually kind of take pride in being biracial because it… I kind of get a lot of attention as a result and I think being one or the other doesn‘t give you as much as attention, is that weird? I‘m so conceited. No, I‘m not saying that I love attention all the time but it does, it‘s more gratifying to say that you‘re biracial than to say that you‘re one, it makes you more special.

In this case, she clearly receives positive attention from being biracial and from appearing mixed race. She is attractive both because she is Asian and because she is “ethnically ambiguous” her identity serves her overall in a positive capacity.

In contrast to those of Asian/White descent, women of Black/White descent spoke to more distressing experiences related to their gender. In their case, although their biraciality likewise lent to a more unique look, it also was a point of contention when developing potential friendships with Black women, when having mostly all White friends, and when navigating relationships with men. Many of the women commented on how interactions with other Black women were problematic, teasing about skin color and hair texture were common experiences. Ashley, 24 years old, and a senior in college, noted that she continues to feel some animosity from Black women. In this passage she talks about how she goes to a bar that is often frequented by Black women, she says:

Again, love the music so I‘m going to keep going there but it was like, the Black girls were like, and I get there is this hair thing in the Black community so it‘s like my hair is always a dead give away for them to want to not like me or something like that… then I would assume that… Black people are kind of like ―oh, she‘s the mixed girl, she thinks she‘s better than us…

Read the entire paper here.

Race in the Race: Mixed Race Identity and Obama’s Campaign

National Communications Association 95th Annual Convention
Chicago Hilton & Towers, Chicago, IL
2009-11-11
15 pages

Iliana Rucker
University of New Mexico

During Obama’s campaign, a video was created by the Los Angeles Times consisting of interviews with individuals who identify as multiracial. Three sections within the video are identified: assumptions about race, assumptions about racism, and the ideal of transcending race. Each section contains progressive and non-progressive stances on issues concerning multiracial identity and Obama’s candidacy. Obama’s presence in the campaign and his election may recast how race is talked about for the future.

Read the entire paper here.

Race on Trial: Passing and the Van Houten Case in Boston

Paper presented at the annual meeting of the 94th Annual Convention
Association for the Study of African American Life and History
Hilton Cincinnati, Netherland Plaza
Cincinnati, Ohio
2009-09-30

Zebulon V. Miletsky, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies
Stony Brook University, State University of New York

In 1894 Anna Van Houten sued Asa P. Morse in a controversial “breach of promise” case in Boston after he withdrew his proposal of marriage upon the discovery of her black ancestry. Morse contended it was a promise that he was not bound to keep because Van Houten was passing for white and had misrepresented herself by concealing her true identity. The case caused quite a stir in the delicate social and racial hierarchy of Boston and was watched very closely by the press who fed the public’s appetite for every detail of the scandal. While many in the public sympathized with Morse for having been deceived, the court concluded that the concealment of her race was not a factor and a breach of promise had indeed been committed. As a result, Van Houten won her original case as well as a sizable settlement. However, the verdict caused a public outcry. The case was successfully appealed and eventually overturned using a legal argument that claimed race constituted valid grounds for a breach of promise.

This paper examines the Van Houten case and what it reveals about Northern anxieties over passing and interracial marriage in the late nineteenth century in cities like Boston. The court’s acceptance of Morse’s appeal is problematic in that interracial marriages or engagements required a legal remedy to prevent them even though they were not prohibited by the state. The case also provides a unique glimpse into the public’s beliefs about the physical nature of race at the very moment when those views were beginning to shift from a scientific understanding to one that is more socially constructed. Finally, this case sheds light on the phenomenon of passing which gave way to a new legal construction of race that allowed for different kinds of evidence, such as photographs and witness testimony to prove the racial identity of an individual.

When the Options Are Open: Racial Identification of Part-American Indian Children in Census 2000 

Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association
Atlanta Hilton Hotel
Atlanta, Georgia
2003-08-16
23 pages

Carolyn A. Liebler, Assistant Professor of Sociology
University of Minnesota

I will use data on part-American Indian children in the 2000 Census 1 percent- PUMS data (expected March 2003) to assess my hypotheses that thick racial ties within the family constrain racial identification, and that structural aspects of the community (group size, inequality, and racial heterogeneity) affect racial identification when racial ties are thin within the family. I use the case of American Indians because their high levels of intermarriage and complex patterns of assimilation/identity retention for generations provide a varied group of people who could potentially identify their race as American Indian. Several hypotheses are supported by similar analyses using 1990 data, signifying that racial identification among people with mixed-heritage is affected by the social world beyond individual psychology and racial ties within the family. However, additional analyses using Census 2000 data are necessary because people of mixed heritage could mark multiple races (or a single race) in 2000. This freedom of choice in racial identification opens the door for new insights into patterns in and reasons behind racial identification among mixed-race people.

Read the entire paper here.