Increasing attention and representation of multiraciality in both the scholarly literature and popular culture warrants further nuancing of what is understood about multiracial people, particularly in the changing contexts of higher education. This book offers a way of Preparing Higher Education for its Mixed Race Future by examining Why Multiraciality Matters. In preparation, the book highlights recent contributions in scholarship – both empirical studies and scholarly syntheses – on multiracial students, staff, and faculty/scholars across three separate yet interrelated parts, which will help spur the continued evolution of multiraciality into the future.
Author(s): Marc P. Johnston-Guerrero, Lisa Delacruz Combs, Victoria K. Malaney-Brown
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 252
City: London
Preface
Acknowledgments
Marc
Lisa
Victoria
About the Book
Organization of the Book
Part I: Multiracial Trajectories Through Higher Education
Part II: Furthering Constructs and Complexities
Part III: Advancing to the Future
A Note to Readers on Terminology and Style
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Part I: Multiracial Trajectories Through Higher Education
Chapter 1: Coming of Age: Why Multiracial Adolescence Matters for Higher Education
Introduction
Racial Identity Development and Racial Socialization from Infancy to Adolescence
Infancy and Early Childhood
Late Childhood and Adolescence
Centering the Experiences of Multiracial People Through Critical Multiracial Theory
What is MultiCrit?
MultiCrit and Adolescents
A MultiCrit Perspective on Multiracial Adolescents and Racial Identity Development
Socialization Messages from Parents and Caregivers
Identity Transience
Experiencing Race-Based -Isms
Mental Health Concerns
Lessons from Adolescence for Higher Education
Promoting or Continuing Positive Racial Identity Development
Promoting or Continuing Counterspaces
Conclusion
References
Chapter 2: College Enrollment and Multiracial Backgrounds: An Exploration of Access and Choice
Introduction
Who Are Multiracial Students?
Overview of College Access
A Study on Multiracial Student Access
Findings
Degrees of Usage of College Access Resources Among Multiracial Students
Maximized College Access Resources
Limited Use of College Access Resources
No Use of College Access Resources
Interactions: Multiracial Identity, College Access, Choice Pathway, and Resources
Little to No Interaction with Multiracial Identity
Limited Interaction with Multiracial Identity
High Interactions with Multiracial Identity
Discussion: Multiracial Identity Interactions and College Access
Implications and Recommendations
Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: Edge Dancing: Campus Climate Experiences and Identity Negotiation of Multiracial College Students of Multiple Minoritized Ancestry
Introduction
Literature Review
Conceptual Framework
Methodology
About PCU
Phase I: What Does It Mean to Be a Multiracial College Student?
Data Source
Protocol
Coding and Analysis
Phase II: How Did Multiracial College Students Negotiate Their Identity and Experience on Campus?
Data Source
Key Variables
Findings
Negotiating Identity: Edge Dancing
Strategy: Bridging
Strategy: Contextualizing
Strategy: Sitting
Strategy: Homesteading
Perceptions of Campus Climate
Campus Climate—Institutional Support for Multiracial Identity Development
Discussion and Implications
References
Chapter 4: I am Black and … —Complexities of being a Marginalized Multiracial Higher Education and Student Affairs Professional in Times of Heightened Racial Tensions
Introduction
Knowledge Reigns Supreme: Theoretical Frameworks
Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud: Making Sense of Multiraciality through a Black Context
P.O.V.: The Often-Convoluted Role of the HESAPs
It Was Written: The First Set of Interviews (2018)
Black racial issues and Anti-Blackness
The Next Episode: The Second Set of Interviews (2021)
Complex Racial Climate + Heightened Racial Tensions = National Crisis
Combatting Racism in the Field
Does Asserting a Positive Multiracial Identity Negate the Black Experience?
A Word on Allyship
What’s Going on?: Reflections
A Challenge of Ahistoricism
Interest Convergence
Experiential Knowledge
Challenge to Dominant Ideology
Racism, Monoracism, and Colorism
A Monoracial Paradigm of Race
Differential Microracialization
Intersections of Multiple Racial Identities
Higher Ground: Implications for Practice
A Place in the Sun: Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: Becoming a Multiracial Scholar by Traversing Monoracial Academia
Introduction
Marc’s Experience: Being Pedestaled Or Pigeonholed?
Lisa’s Experience: Questioning Worthiness
Who Are Multiracial Scholars?
A Leaky Pipeline Or Intentional by Design?
Experiences of Multiracial Faculty
Trajectories of Multiracial Faculty
Why Might Multiracial Scholars Leave Academia Or Drop Multiracial Interests?
Becoming a Multiracial Scholar Model
Pre-Doctoral Students
Doctoral Students
Pre-Tenure Track and Non-Tenure Track
Tenured Faculty
Recommendations and Conclusion
References
Part II: Furthering Constructs and Complexities
Chapter 6: A Mixed Sense of Belonging: Fluid Experiences for Multiracial and Multiethnic College Students
Sense of Belonging: A Multidimensional Construct
Multiracial and Multiethnic Identities and Experiences in Higher Education
Exploring Belonging through a Qualitative Interview Study
Institutional and Contextual Sense of Belonging
Factors Influencing Belonging
Monoracism: Barriers to Belonging
Managing a Reduced Sense of Belonging: Accommodation and Resistance to Monoracial Norms
Validation Through Friendships: A Facilitator of Belonging
Recommendations to Enhance a Mixed Sense of Belonging
References
Chapter 7: What is Multiracial Consciousness? Developing Critically Conscious Multiracial Students in Higher Education
Introduction
Background Context & Framing
Critical Consciousness
Freire’s Levels of Critical Consciousness
Extant Uses of Multiracial Consciousness
A Study Conceptualizing Multiracial Consciousness
What is Multiracial Consciousness?
What does Multiracial Consciousness Look Like?
Massification (Accepts Silence & Passivity)
Recognizes Oppression and Racism (Awareness)
Takes Action for Racial Justice (Activism)
Where does Multiracial Consciousness Come From?
Implications and Recommendations for the Future of Higher Education
Recognize and Learn about Multiracial Consciousness
Support the Development of Multiracial Consciousness
Conclusion
References
Chapter 8: The “Unwanted, Colored Male”: Gendered Contested White Subjectivity Hailed Through Contemporary Racial Discourse
Introduction
Contested Whites
The Discursive Formation of Racial Subjectivity
The Discourse of Essentialist Anti-Black Racism
The Binary Discourse
The Discourse of Normative Whiteness
The Discourse of Colorblindness
The Discourse of Denial
A Study Exploring Contested White Subjectivities
Two Narrative Portraits
Roland
Racial Positioning
Dating and Romantic Relationships
Michael
Racial Positioning
Racial Contestation
Denial and Minimization
Emerging Awareness, Continued Confusion
Dating and Romantic Relationships
Implications for Future Research and Practice
Conclusion
References
Chapter 9: The Complexity of Black Biracial Identity Within the Contexts of Peer and Faculty Interactions at a Predominately White Institution
Introduction
Background
The Context of Higher Education
Conceptual Framework
The Program
Two Black, Biracial Women
Racial Identity and Expression
Intragroup Racial Identification
Intergroup Racial Identification
Why This Matters
Supporting Students
Seeing Individuals; Acknowledging Communities
References
Chapter 10: Don’t Deny Our Existence: Highlighting Multiracial Staff Experiences Through Mixed Filipinx Americans’ Narratives
Introduction
Framing the Chapter
Colonial Mentality
MultiCrit
Our Narratives
Lisa’s Narrative: Co-Existing in the In-Between
Mitchell’s Narrative: Seeking Solidarities Against Erasure
Themes Across Narratives
Denial of Multiraciality and Carving Out Space
POC Gatekeeping and Internal Struggles
Yearning for Multiracial Community
Navigating Disclosure
Discussion and Analysis
Recommendations for Future Practice and Research
Conclusion
References
Part III: Advancing to the Future
Chapter 11: Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t: The Trials and Tribulations of Multiracial Student Activism
Introduction
The Intersection of Identity and Activism
Multiracial Student Activism
Our Scholarly Personal Narratives
Brianna: Never Enough
Kevin: My Distrust in Higher Education
Recommendations for Future Practice
Expound Research on Multiraciality and Student Activism
Assess Infrastructures and Systems of Advocacy
Develop Solution-Oriented and Trauma-Informed Practices
Conclusion
References
Chapter 12: Conclusion: Why Multiraciality Matters for the Future of Higher Education
Introduction
Why Multiraciality Matters for the Future: How Each Chapter Answers This Question
Additional Considerations: Filling Gaps and Spotlighting Persistent Problems
Editors’ Final Reflections and Push Forward
Lisa’s Reflection
Victoria’s Reflection
Marc’s Reflection
Conclusion
References
Index
