Ethnicity and race as 'symbolic': the use of ethnic and racial symbols in asserting a biracial identity

ISSN： 1466-4356

Source： Ethnic and Racial Studies, Vol.34, Iss.6, 2011-06, pp. : 1049-1067

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Abstract

According to Waters (1990), most Americans have some choice in ethnic identity and the ability to practise symbolic ethnicity (Gans 1979). This choice, however, is available to whites only; black Americans have less choice because their ascribed race trumps any ethnic status. Drawing on interviews with forty black-white biracial adults, I ask: can ethnicity be optional for black Americans - in particular, for black-white biracial Americans who have been historically defined as black? Furthermore, can race, like ethnicity, be symbolic? I find that these biracial respondents frequently draw on white ethnic and racial symbols, not to identify as white or with a particular white ethnic group, but rather to highlight their white ancestries in order to identify as 'biracial'. The functions of appropriating white symbols are explored.