Mixed Race Studies

Double-barrelled race system to start on Saturday

Today Online
2010-12-31

Zul Othman

SINGAPORE – From Saturday, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will implement the registration of dual heritage options for children with parents of different races. This means these children will be able to share dual heritages on their identity cards (ICs), by way of “double-barrelled” races.

This change was first announced in Parliament in January; giving mixed marriage couples—a Caucasian-Chinese, for example—the flexibility to decide how their children’s race should be recorded instead of categorising them as Chinese, Caucasian, or Eurasian.

The ICA says that there will not be any advantages in terms of policy considerations for those who register either a double-barrelled or singular race…

…As for the HDB’s [Housing and Development Board’s] Ethnic Integration Policy—which puts a cap on the number of families of each race in a HDB block to ensure a balanced mix of races—it has previously said that it may be more flexible towards mixed-race couples…

Read the entire article here.

U.S. more diverse than ever: Census

The Toronto Star
2010-12-23

Timothy R. Homan
Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON—The ethnic makeup of the world’s largest economy will be increasingly diverse, with more mixed-race Americans, according to the head of the U.S. Census Bureau.

“This is the decade of Tiger Woods and Barack Obama, where we talked about race combinations,” Robert Groves, director of the federal agency, said about forthcoming 2010 Census data in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt”. “I can’t wait to see the pattern of responses on multiple races. That’ll be a neat indicator to watch.”

The 2010 Census was the second consecutive decennial count to allow residents to identify as more than one race, and Groves said it’s likely that more respondents checked off multiple races.

The nation’s population grew 9.7 per cent to 308,745,538 in 2010, from the previous decade, with the fastest gains coming in the South and West, the agency said this week. The release included only national and state population figures, with more data on race, ethnicity, housing and other variables provided in February and March for all levels of geography…

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The best fiction and poetry of 2010

The Washington Post
Friday, 2010-12-10

…THE GIRL WHO FELL FROM THE SKY, by Heidi W. Durrow (Algonquin, $22.95). When several family members fall off the roof of a Chicago apartment building, the sole survivor is biracial Rachel, who goes to live with her grandmother in an African American neighborhood. –Lisa Page…

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Hypodescent: New Work by Gabriel Mejia

University of Wisconsin, Madison
George L. Mosse Humanities Building
7th Floor Gallery Room 7240
455 North Park Street
2010-12-11 through 2010-12-16

Gabriel Mejia

All events are free and open to the public.

Closing Reception: 2010-12-16, 19:00-21:00 CST (Local Time).

A meditation on identity and the social constructs of racial assignment. Featuring printmaking and video installations by 2nd year MFA graduate student, Gabriel Mejia.

For more information, click here.

SOCI 006 601 – Race and Ethnic Relations

University of Pennsylvania
College of Liberal and Professional Studies
Spring 2011

Tamara Nopper, Adjunct Professor of Asian American Studies

The election of Barack Obama as the United States’ first Black president has raised questions about whether we have entered a post-racial society. This course examines the idea of racial progress that is at the heart of such a question, paying close attention to how social scientists have defined and measured racial inequality and progress in the last century. We will consider how dramatic demographic shifts, the growing number of interracial families and individuals who identify as mixed-race, trans-racial adoptions, and the increased visibility of people of color in media, positions of influence, and as celebrities inform scholarly and popular debates about racial progress. Along with some classic works, we will also read literature regarding the class versus race debate and color-blind racism. In the process, students will become familiar with sociological data often drawn from in debates about racial progress and will also develop analytical and critical thinking skills.

For more information, click here.

A Critical Race Theory Approach to Understanding Cinematic Representations of the Mixed Race Experience

Center for Race & Gender
University of California, Berkeley
2010-12-08

10/5/2010 CRG Forum: Mixed Race/Mixed Space in Media Culture & Militarized Zones
“A Critical Race Theory Approach to Understanding Cinematic Representations of the Mixed Race Experience”

Kevin Escudero, Ethnic Studies

This presentation focuses on the developmental trajectory of the portrayal of mixed race people in mainstream media.  Primarily looking at film, but also analyzing other media texts such as photography, stand-up comedy and particular sub-genres of film (Disney, television series, etc.) this presentation seeks to understand the ways in which different forms of media have portrayed mixed race people pre and post-Loving.  While much work has been done on the depiction of mixed race people in media post-Loving, there is a need for such work to be contextualized within the pre-Loving depictions of mixed race.  Furthermore, very little attention has been given to the ways in which pre-1967 depictions of mixed race characters (e.g. the tragic mulatto) oftentimes reflect as well as perpetuated racist stereotypes of mixed race people.  These depictions of mixed race people during the anti-miscegenation era are what I argue, has given rise to the utilization by mixed race people of multiple forms of self-expression available through various media in the post-Loving era.

Listen to the presentation here.

Protective factors promoting psychosocial resilience in biracial youths

University of Alaska, Fairbanks
2010
127 pages
Publication Number: AAT 3421517
ISBN: 9781124214290

Gail K. Kawakami-Schwarber

Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska ,Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Resilience in adolescents is the achievement of positive outcomes and the attainment of developmental tasks in the face of significant risk. This study identified protective factors promoting resilience in the development of positive self-identity in biracial youths. The rapidly rising biracial youth population is a vulnerable group facing potentially higher risks for mental health and behavioral issues compared to their monoracial counterparts. Identity development, a central psychosocial task of adolescence, is a complex task for biracial youths since they must integrate two ethnic identities. For biracial youths, mastery of the psychosocial identity developmental task can be daunting as they face stressors such as racial stigmas and negative stereotypes, which may lead to identity problems manifesting during adolescence. Sixteen biracial individuals ranging from age 18 to 29 years participated in this qualitative research project. Comparisons were made to identify patterns and themes for factors affecting self-esteem and ethnic identity level among the participants. Brought to light were culturally-based protective factors stemming from individual, family, and social domains promoting psychosocial resilience in fostering healthy biracial identity resolution. Risk factors unique for the biracial population were also identified. The findings underscore the importance in understanding how the environment shapes and influences the ways biracial youth negotiate their dual identity. The research results can be integrated into appropriate prevention and intervention techniques for application by professionals and families to further healthy identity resolution in biracial youths.

Table of Contents

• Signature Page
• Title Page
• Abstract
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• List of Appendices
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1 Introduction
  • Statement of Problem
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Definition of Terms
• Chapter 2 Literature Review
  • Vulnerable Population
  • Issues Related to the Biracial Population
  • Adolescent Identity Development
  • Psychosocial Identity Process
  • Ecological Theory
  • Race, Culture, and Stereotypes
  • Racial Identity Studies
  • Ethnic Identity and Self-Esteem
  • Ethnic Identity Models
  • Biracial Identity Models
    • Posten’s biracial identity development model (BID)
    • Wardle’s biracial model
    • The Kerwin-Ponterotto model
    • Root’s biracial identity resolution theory
  • Resilience Concept
  • Models of Resilience
    • Challenge model
    • Cumulative effect model
    • Interaction model
  • Factors Influencing Resilience
    • Risk factors
    • Protective factors
      • Psychosocial protective factors
    • Self-Esteem
  • Developmental Outcomes of Resilience
• Chapter 3 Method
  • Participants
  • Apparatus
  • Procedures
  • Data Analysis
• Chapter 4 Results
  • Self-Esteem Ranking and Data Comparison
    • Heritage and parents’ heritage
    • First generation parents
    • Cultural knowledge
    • Self-identity and parental ethnic identification
    • Self-identity and identification with parents
    • Self-identity and role models
  • Ethnic Identity Levels and Data Comparison
    • Heritage and parents’ heritage
    • First generation parents
    • Culture knowledge
    • Self-identity and parental ethnic identification
    • Self-identity and identification with parents
    • Self-identity and role models
  • Comparison Between Self-Esteem Ranking and Ethnic Identity Levels
    • Self-esteem ranking
    • Ethnic identity levels
  • Identified Protective Factors
    • Personal Factors
    • Ethnic mixture
    • Ethnic heritage
  • Identity Factors
    • Positive and consistent labels from parents
    • Parental ethnic identity assignment
    • Identification with parents
  • Coping Skills
    • Ethnic identity discrepancy management
    • Identity fluctuation
  • Family Factors
    • First generation parent
    • Parents as role models
    • Extended family contact and acceptance
  • Social and Community Factors
    • Cultural knowledge
    • Peer acceptance
  • Potential Risk Factors
• Chapter 5 Discussion
  • Protective Factors for Biracial Identity Development
  • Additional Protective Factors
  • Risk Factors and Resilience
  • Implications
  • Practical Applications
  • Limitations
  • Future Directions
  • Conclusion
• References

List of Figures

• Figure 1: Potential risk factors identified for biracial identity development
• Figure 2: Protective factors identified for biracial identity development

List of Tables

• Table 1: Self-Esteem, Heritage, Parents’ Heritage and Generation to United States
• Table 2: Self-Esteem, Self-Identity, Parental’s Ethnic Identification and Cultural Knowledge
• Table 3: Self-Esteem, Self-Identity, Role Model and Identified with Parent
• Table 4: Ethnic Identity, Heritage, Parents’ Heritage and Generation to United States
• Table 5: Minority-White Ethnic Identity, Heritage and Parents’ Heritage
• Table 6: Minority-Minority Ethnic Identity, Heritage and Parents’ Heritage
• Table 7: Ethnic Identity, Self-Identity, Parental Ethnic Identification and Cultural Knowledge
• Table 8: Minority-White Ethnic Identity, Self-Identity, Parental Ethnic Identification and Cultural Knowledge
• Table 9: Minority-Minority Ethnic Identity, Self-Identity, Parental Ethnic Identification and Cultural Knowledge
• Table 10: Ethnic Identity, Self-Identity, Role Model and Identified with Parent
• Table 11: Self-Esteem Ranking with Ethnic Identity Score
• Table 12: Ethnic Identity Ranking with Self-Esteem Scores

List of Appendicies

• Appendix A: Informed Consent Form
• Appendix B: Demographic Questionnaire
• Appendix C: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale
• Appendix D: Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure
• Appendix E: Interview Guide

Purchase the dissertation here.

Steelers and Ward nominated for Positive Peace Awards

Pittsburgh Steelers News
2010-12-06

Celebrate Positive announced today that the Pittsburgh Steelers and wide receiver Hines Ward have been nominated for the inaugural  2010 United Nations NGO Positive Peace Awards in the Professional Sports Team and Professional Athlete categories. This award, viewed as a 21st century peace prize, honors and recognizes individuals, businesses, athletes, sports teams, entertainers and schools around the world for their positive contributions.

…The nomination of Hines Ward came from Pearl S. Buck International Inc. [for] his critical work in Korea which has changed the perception of the biracial population in the community. His involvement has attracted influential Koreans to join him in his efforts.

“Hines Ward changed the cultural landscape of Korea,” said Janet Mintzer, President/CEO of Pearl S. Buck Intl. “After Japanese invasions, Korea placed high value on being pure-blooded Koreans, creating prejudice of biracial people. As a successful biracial Korean-American, he returned to Korea, creating media attention which sparked a cultural shift.”…

Read the entire article here.

Room For Debate: Does It Matter Where You Go to College? Merit and Race

New York Times
2010-11-30

Luis Fuentes-Rohwer, Professor of Law and Harry T. Ice Faculty Fellow
Indiana University

What sensible and ambitious students should keep in mind about where they go to school.

Notwithstanding our commitment to egalitarian norms, where one chooses to go to college continues to matter, greatly. Intuitively, for most people, matriculation at an elite institution is a no brainer: the better the school, the higher the payoff for its graduates. The research supports this intuition. Attendance at elite colleges and universities has a positive effect on the likelihood that a student will graduate; on future earnings; on the likelihood that a student will attend graduate school; and even to lower divorce rates and better health…

…The calculations are relatively the same for many minority applicants with some added considerations. I have two particular issues in mind.

The first is an extension of the debate over affirmative action in higher education, and particularly the notion of “critical mass.” This is the concern, largely unexpressed yet often at the forefront of our consciousness, of being a racial minority at a predominantly white institution. This point raises the question of who is a racial minority worthy of special consideration. For example, fewer and fewer historically disadvantaged African-American students are being admitted to elite colleges. Increasingly, elite colleges are admitting biracial students and first- or second-generation black students from the Caribbean and from Africa. Historically disadvantaged African-American students are being left behind in the elite college lottery. This is a tragedy. This also underscores the remaining importance of our historically black colleges and universities…

Read the entire article here.

The whole story on being ‘hafu’

CNN International
CNN Go
2010-11-29

Daniel Krieger

The movie ‘Hafu’ explores the limbo world of people who are half-Japanese and half something else, as they try to find their place in society

What does it mean to be half-Japanese in 21st-century Japan?

This is what filmmakers Megumi Nishikura and Lara Takagi set out to explore in their documentary film, “Hafu,” of which they showed a preview screening last month at the Kansai Franco-Japanese Institute in Kyoto.

The film, which is not yet completed, is an offshoot of the Hafu Project, which was set up in London two years ago by sociologist Marcia Yume Lise and photographer Natalie Maya Willer, both half-Japanese.

The project profiles hafus with photos and interviews that shed light on the experience of living between two cultures.

“We wanted to create an opportunity to discuss contemporary Japan through the lens of half Japanese,” says Lise…

Read the entire article here.