Author ORCID Identifier

0009-0007-3078-1708

Date of Award

12-11-2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Tomeka Davis

Second Advisor

Katie Acosta

Third Advisor

David Brunsma

Abstract

Studies that center mixed-race identity and the experiences of mixed-race people do not often focus exclusively on mixed-race men. Simply put, more scholarship examines mixed race femininity than mixed race masculinity (strmic-pawl 2023). This project highlights the experiences of 17 mixed-race men, focusing on answers to the research question: “How are mixed-race men navigating multiple racial identities?” This qualitative dissertation is a journey into the lived experiences of mixed-race men at the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, culture, and more. Drawing on Gloria Anzaldúa’s ([1987]2012) conceptualization of the borderlands, this project tells the stories of those who are situated at the intersections of multiraciality, masculinity, multiethnicity and more. Using semi-structured interviews and demographic pre-survey information, this study paints a picture of multiraciality from the unique perspective of mixed-race men.

Findings illuminate the ways in which mixed race men complicate the binaries of race and navigate fluidity and authenticity. Results also chart the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (data was collected in 2020 and 2021) on the lives of respondents. Notably, the rise in anti-Asian violence and attention to racial injustice in the United States during this time sparked action for participants. Findings are organized around three primary themes: 1) Code-Switching & Fluidity, 2) Masculinity & Multiraciality, and 3) Pandemic & Racial Injustice. Making a contribution to Critical Mixed Race Studies (CMRS), this project centers mixed-race masculinity to show how mixed-race men are charting their own paths in the borderlands.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/36370102

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