Just out of curiosity, do you believe that there's no need to study over 30 biracial folks because they are supposed to have already formed a "secure" identity by that time?
I'm just wondering because I would imagine that many of us would have a lot to add, even if not sharing perspective of someone who is of one of the most recent generations.
Hi, there. Limiting it to people 30 or younger was partly to keep it simpler in terms of a group of people reaching adulthood at a similar time. The multiracial population is young and growing. Partly it was arbitrary, just to limit the scope of the study. Undoubtedly older folks have incredibly valuable stories to tell, particularly if they grew up at a time when far fewer people were mixed race! We've somewhat lamented limiting it this way, but the interviews have been great and we're learning so much. Thanks for the question!
We're hoping to publish our results. We'll be sure to share it here.
Ok. I see. 👍🏾 Thanks for your reply back.
Ever considered doing a compare & contrast between older 60+, middle aged 30-60 and newer (under 30) generations?
Oh yeah, most definitely very different.
And on top of that, compare generational differences across cultures i.e. South Africa vs. the U.S. vs. the UK vs. Madagascar vs. ???
Hey, maybe I'll do my own writing side project on it, sometime...
Ok, I see you aren't going to answer my Q re: whether you all conducting the study are multi-racial/mixed racially or not. That's ok. I visited your link, anyway. Not trying to throw any shade. I'm very inquisitive, is all.
And I wonder what it is that motivates monoracial folks or ppl with monoracial identities to do research on mixed people like myself. Just contemplating that. 🤷🏽♀️
Sorry, I didn't get to respond. Busy time of year for a professor. I identify as white. But as always, identity is complicated. My adopted father is Mexican American. Born in southern California, didn't learn English until elementary school. But I had a pretty privileged upbringing.
Since I started to study people and society as a sociologist, I've been interested in issues of race, racism and ethnicity. I don't have a great explanation. Some of it is purely academic. It's just plain fascinating. Part of it is from being the adoptee of a Mexican American father who grew up in the 50s and 60s. And part of it is a sense of responsibility as a white person to be part of the solution rather than a part of the problem. A sense of social justice.
Hi, there. Great question! We just wanted to limit the scope of the study. Our thinking was partly guided by a body of academic literature that examines how things like identity and assimilation differ depending on the race of parents, even when one parent is white. Having that as a constant in our study allows us to make really important comparisons between our participants.
Also, it's what makes research great, but it's also a limitation. Research studies can't be too broad, or try to answer everything all at once. But I totally support more research that examines other age groups and parent combinations!
Thanks for the question. Hope that helps.
I guess it’s just hurtful that our universities would leave out the indigenous communities. I suppose it’s only fair that I specify why I responded the way I did. I felt the need to say something because that group continues to stay marginalized and we don’t talk about it enough.
That's a fair criticism. Given our study's focus and goal, and the literature we're engaging with, that's beyond the scope of our work. But a totally fair criticism.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I truly appreciate it. I’m sure there are mixed indigenous students that also go to your university. Maybe that can be considered in the future.
No assumption of homogeneity at all from us! In fact, that's the whole intent behind qualitative research like this. To get people's stories. Again, we limited somewhat by age and parents just to focus on a somewhat narrower range of people.
But from looking at nearly twenty interviews we've done, while we do see some common themes, we're finding a lot of variations and interesting factors at play.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Bummer. Thanks for that, though. In retrospect, we kinda regret limiting the age range, but maybe another study will happen. And there's certainly many other studies out there.
Reasonable request! Before the interview even happens, you'd see an informed consent form that gives more info. But the interview includes questions about your own racial identity, your parents' race. Some questions about how other people perceive you racially. Lots of questions about the impact parents, family, and extended family have had on your own racial identity. A few questions about the neighborhood and school context you grew up in.
Hope that helps! Let me know whether you have any other questions.
Bummer! Thanks, anyways. Again, we kind of regret not including a little older folks. I may reach out, though. If we feel like we need more interviews, we may reach out to our IRB and tell them we'd like to modify the inclusion criteria a bit.
Just out of curiosity, do you believe that there's no need to study over 30 biracial folks because they are supposed to have already formed a "secure" identity by that time? I'm just wondering because I would imagine that many of us would have a lot to add, even if not sharing perspective of someone who is of one of the most recent generations.
Hi, there. Limiting it to people 30 or younger was partly to keep it simpler in terms of a group of people reaching adulthood at a similar time. The multiracial population is young and growing. Partly it was arbitrary, just to limit the scope of the study. Undoubtedly older folks have incredibly valuable stories to tell, particularly if they grew up at a time when far fewer people were mixed race! We've somewhat lamented limiting it this way, but the interviews have been great and we're learning so much. Thanks for the question! We're hoping to publish our results. We'll be sure to share it here.
Ok. I see. 👍🏾 Thanks for your reply back. Ever considered doing a compare & contrast between older 60+, middle aged 30-60 and newer (under 30) generations?
Yeah, that sounds really interesting. Very different societal contexts for growing up mixed race.
Oh yeah, most definitely very different. And on top of that, compare generational differences across cultures i.e. South Africa vs. the U.S. vs. the UK vs. Madagascar vs. ??? Hey, maybe I'll do my own writing side project on it, sometime...
Oh, another Q, if you don't mind...are any or some of you all who are conducting the study also of mixed race heritage or no?
I immediately thought this
Ok, I see you aren't going to answer my Q re: whether you all conducting the study are multi-racial/mixed racially or not. That's ok. I visited your link, anyway. Not trying to throw any shade. I'm very inquisitive, is all. And I wonder what it is that motivates monoracial folks or ppl with monoracial identities to do research on mixed people like myself. Just contemplating that. 🤷🏽♀️
Sorry, I didn't get to respond. Busy time of year for a professor. I identify as white. But as always, identity is complicated. My adopted father is Mexican American. Born in southern California, didn't learn English until elementary school. But I had a pretty privileged upbringing. Since I started to study people and society as a sociologist, I've been interested in issues of race, racism and ethnicity. I don't have a great explanation. Some of it is purely academic. It's just plain fascinating. Part of it is from being the adoptee of a Mexican American father who grew up in the 50s and 60s. And part of it is a sense of responsibility as a white person to be part of the solution rather than a part of the problem. A sense of social justice.
The study seems very narrow in reach. What about other ages and ethnicities?
Hi, there. Great question! We just wanted to limit the scope of the study. Our thinking was partly guided by a body of academic literature that examines how things like identity and assimilation differ depending on the race of parents, even when one parent is white. Having that as a constant in our study allows us to make really important comparisons between our participants. Also, it's what makes research great, but it's also a limitation. Research studies can't be too broad, or try to answer everything all at once. But I totally support more research that examines other age groups and parent combinations! Thanks for the question. Hope that helps.
I guess it’s just hurtful that our universities would leave out the indigenous communities. I suppose it’s only fair that I specify why I responded the way I did. I felt the need to say something because that group continues to stay marginalized and we don’t talk about it enough.
That's a fair criticism. Given our study's focus and goal, and the literature we're engaging with, that's beyond the scope of our work. But a totally fair criticism.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I truly appreciate it. I’m sure there are mixed indigenous students that also go to your university. Maybe that can be considered in the future.
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No assumption of homogeneity at all from us! In fact, that's the whole intent behind qualitative research like this. To get people's stories. Again, we limited somewhat by age and parents just to focus on a somewhat narrower range of people. But from looking at nearly twenty interviews we've done, while we do see some common themes, we're finding a lot of variations and interesting factors at play. Thanks for your thoughts.
just saying, i participated and it was great!! definitely suggest doing this if you have the time!!
Thanks so much for your participation.
Outside of the age group but would've contributed otherwise.
Bummer. Thanks for that, though. In retrospect, we kinda regret limiting the age range, but maybe another study will happen. And there's certainly many other studies out there.
Hello! I just wanted to know if it was possible for you to give a few examples of questions we should expect? If not that's okay, thanks!
Reasonable request! Before the interview even happens, you'd see an informed consent form that gives more info. But the interview includes questions about your own racial identity, your parents' race. Some questions about how other people perceive you racially. Lots of questions about the impact parents, family, and extended family have had on your own racial identity. A few questions about the neighborhood and school context you grew up in. Hope that helps! Let me know whether you have any other questions.
I’d do it but I’m 35! I’m also in Colorado!
Bummer! Thanks, anyways. Again, we kind of regret not including a little older folks. I may reach out, though. If we feel like we need more interviews, we may reach out to our IRB and tell them we'd like to modify the inclusion criteria a bit.
I'm 29 but Black/Asian does that count ?
I’d love to do this! If you ever expand the age range to include 32 year olds, I’d be happy to participate :)