Biracial identity: more than just Black and White

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Date
2008
Authors
Francis, Dennis
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: This article draws on the insights of research on nine Indian-White biracial young adults to consider how they interpret their social reality. Life-history research was used to discover the complexities that make up the participants’ everyday lives and to understand what they believe about themselves. The key findings reveal that the participants’ struggles with identity indicate the complexity of identity, but those struggles are not always related to race. Their descriptions of their identity formation reveal an ongoing dialectical process that involved the making of choices amongst various social identities as they moved from one circumstance to another.
Afrikaans: Die artikel is gebaseer op die navorsingsinsigte verkry van nege Indiër-Blank tweerassige jong volwassenes in terme van hoe hulle hul sosiale werklikheid interpreteer. Lewensgeskiedenisnavorsing is gebruik om die kompleksiteit van hul daaglikse lewe te ontdek en om te verstaan wat hul oor hulself glo. Die sleutelbevindinge toon aan dat die nege deelnemers met aspekte rakende hul identiteit worstel en dit dui op die kompleksiteit van laasgenoemde en dat sulke worstelinge nie altyd verband hou met ras nie. Die beskrywinge van hul identiteitsvorming openbaar ’n voortdurende dialektiese proses wat die maak van keuses vanuit verskillende sosiale identiteite insluit soos hulle van een situasie na ’n volgende beweeg.
Description
Keywords
Identity, Complexity of identity, Mixed-race persons, Children of interracial unions
Citation
Francis, D. (2008). Biracial identity: more than just Black and White. Acta Academica, 40(2), 110-128.