Changing racial boundaries and mixed unions

The case of second-generation Filipino Americans

Bibliographic Data

ID2147267
AuthorsBrenda Gambol (0000-0003-2728-8422, City University of New York, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume39
Issue14
Pages2621-2640
Publication date2016-11-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEthnic and Racial Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0141-9870 • E-ISSN: 1466-4356
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01419870.2016.1164879
OpenAlexW2341439168
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited40

I examine an understudied topic of intermarriage - nonwhite mixed unions. Drawing on a study of second-generation Filipino Americans, I compare how respondents in inter-ethnic (those partnered with other Asians) and nonwhite interracial (i.e. Latino, black, and non-Asian bi-racial) unions perceive racial boundaries, or their 'racial schemas'. I argue that mixed unions can change how partners view racial boundaries. Drawing on phenotype, culture, and power position, both inter-ethnically and nonwhite interracially partnered respondents viewed themselves as different from whites. However, they differed in how they constructed nonwhite boundaries. Respondents in inter-ethnic unions drew on their Asian identity to distinguish themselves from Latinos and blacks, while informants in nonwhite interracial unions highlighted their Filipino identity to distance themselves from East Asians and align themselves with Latinos and blacks. These findings show that marriage affects racial boundary development and that mixed unions impact individuals' racial incorporation

Ethnic group · Identity (music · Political science · Power (physics · Race (biology · Racial formation theory · Racism · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub