Mixed Race' Children in British Society

Some Theoretical Considerations

Datos Bibliográficos

ID5635546
AutoresAnne Wilson (0000-0001-7954-6038, autor de correspondencia)
Año1984
Volumen35
Número1
Páginas42
Fecha de publicación1984-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaBritish Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0007-1315 • E-ISSN: 1468-4446
EditorialJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/590550
OpenAlexW2322457828
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas12
Referencias citadas9

A study of the racial identity of British 'mixed race' children raises a number of theoretical issues about the racial categorization system of Britain; in particular, the validity of the assumption that British racial thought is strictly dichotomous (perceived in terms of the two mutually exclusive categories of 'black' and 'white') is called into question. In British and American sociological literature, mixed race people have often been described as occupying a 'marginal' or an 'in-between' position, from which they can only escape by adopting full membership of either the black or the white group. None the less, some sociologists have suggested that it is possible for mixed race people to steer a successful course between the two groups or to alter their racial self-image according to circumstance: more generally, it has been argued that the process of ethnic identity is more fluid and dynamic than it is frequently depicted. The dichotomous 'black-or-white' model of racial identity stems from analysis of the American racial structure: the investigation of British racial identity would appear to require a more flexible view of the racial categorization system

Race (biology · Sociology · Critical Race Theory in Education · Gender Studies