Affiliation:
1. University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
2. The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
Abstract
Since the 1990s, scholars have speculated on the role of multiracials in shaping race relations in the twenty-first century. Drawing from a purposive sample of roughly 600 self-identified multiracials of partial white origin, we examine race making among multiracials through what we are calling self-concept, a conceptualization that runs along two dimensions—identity and closeness—by which we assess the extent to which multiracials align more closely with a white self-concept, more closely with a minority self-concept, or equally. We find that while there is variation, multiracials of partial white ancestry are more likely to express a self-concept that is more aligned with minorities than with whites. Moreover, we find that despite what the literature suggests, variation in self-concept is less associated with ascription than with social/familial context and racial attitudes. These findings suggest that while ascription matters, racial self-concept is primarily shaped through experience.
Funder
The Ohio State University Office of Diversity and Inclusion Faculty Research