Abstract:
The study focused on biracial white-Asian women from the U.S. and their understanding of how they fit in the country’s racial order. Interviews were conducted with six women to explore what factors most influence their racial identity, how they personally identify and how that identity has been interpreted by others, experiences of internal conflicts related to their racial identity, and if they identify as women of color. Photos and handwritten responses to the question “Who are you?” were also submitted by the same population in order to understand how biracial white-Asian women view themselves and their various identities. The participants’ responses provide a greater understanding of what it is like living with both privileged and marginalized identities, and how racial categorization in the U.S. typically ignores those of mixed race heritage if they are white passing. The findings can further inform our understanding of race in the U.S. as something that exists outside of a binary, but instead on a spectrum, and how racial identity is policed and by whom.
