Politics Program, LAIS Program, Historical Studies Program, American and Indigenous Studies Program, and Sociology Program Present
What Majority-Minority Society? The Rise and Significance of Ethnoracially Mixed Parentage
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Olin Humanities, Room 102
4:45 pm – 6:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
4:45 pm – 6:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Richard Alba, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Based on demographic projections, most Americans believe that their society will transition soon to a majority-minority one. But the projections fail to adequately account for a major social and demographic phenomenon of the early 21st century: the rise of a group of young Americans with mixed minority-white ancestry. In a departure from the one-drop regime of past racism, these individuals appear to be growing up in mixed family settings, but because of the binary, zero-sum rigidities that still guide our thinking, they are mostly classified as minorities in demographic data. Without this classification, however, the emergence of a majority-minority society in the foreseeable future is far from certain. Moreover, the evidence we possess about the characteristics, social affiliations, and identities of mixed individuals contradicts an exclusively minority classification, except for partly black individuals, who suffer from high levels of racism. Taking into account the ambiguous social locations of most mixed minority-white persons, I suggest that, even should a majority-minority society appear, it will not look like we presently imagine it.For more information, call 845-758-6822 x7667, or e-mail [email protected].
Time: 4:45 pm – 6:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Location: Olin Humanities, Room 102