There isn’t one way to be black
Exploring ethnic self-identities among second-generation Ethiopian adults in the United States
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6255481 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kassahun Kebede (0000-0002-9309-4776, Eastern Washington University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ethnicities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1468-7968 • E-ISSN: 1741-2706 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/14687968251380702 |
| OpenAlex | W4414291885 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 38 |
The study examines how second-generation Ethiopian adults in the United States construct and navigate their ethnic self-identities. Drawing on survey and interview data from 51 participants across major U.S. metropolitan areas, the research reveals a spectrum of self-identifications—including Ethiopian American, Ethiopian, “just American,” and various pan-ethnic labels such as Ethiopian African American and African American. Participants described their identities as situational and fluid, shaped by personal experiences, family influences, community context, and broader societal dynamics. The findings challenge the notion of a monolithic Black identity, where all individuals, regardless of their background, are fundamentally perceived and classified as African American. This is demonstrated by the fact that Black immigrants and their descendants pursue various ethnic identities and paths of assimilation, even when faced with external pressures to lump them as African Americans. This diversity highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of Blackness in America—one that acknowledges the interplay between history, cultural heritage, individual agency, and structural context. The study’s insights contribute to ongoing debates about race, ethnicity, and belonging in the United States and have implications for policy and future research on second-generation immigrant identities
Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy · Migration, Refugees, and Integration
Migration, transnationalization, and race in a changing New York
Black identities
The Ethnic Project
Assimilation in American life
Ethnic and Racial Identities of Second-Generation Black Immigrants in New York City
Beyond Expectations
The New African Diaspora in the United States
Who Is White
Black Immigrants in the United States and the "Cultural Narratives" of Ethnicity
Convergent identifications, divergent meanings
Challenging American conceptions of race and ethnicity
Varieties of Ethnic Self-Identities
The Evolution of Ethnic Identity From Adolescence to Middle Adulthood
Ethnic Options
Racialization and Black multiplicity
The practice of social research
No necessary tradeoff
Identity among first and second generation African immigrants in the United States
The Crucible within
Identity and Assimilation Among Young Ethiopian Immigrants in Metropolitan Washington
Race, Ethnic Options, and Ethnic Binds
Second-Generation Asian American Pan-Ethnic Identity
Developing the Ethnic Identity Scale Using Eriksonian and Social Identity Perspectives
The Socioeconomic Attainments of Second-Generation Nigerian and Other Black Americans
Black Immigrants and the Changing Portrait of Black America
Affiliative ethnic identity
Finding one's place
"More than "just Black
Rather be known as Haitian
From Biafra to police brutality
Just black" or not "just black?" ethnic attrition in the Nigerian-American second generation
Afropolitan projects
Ethnic identity on display
Being British vs Being American
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |