ERIC Number: EJ1361258
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jan
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0038-0407
EISSN: EISSN-1939-8573
Available Date: N/A
"As Diverse as Possible": How Universities Compromise Multiracial Identities
Sociology of Education, v96 n1 p1-18 Jan 2023
U.S. colleges and universities are under increasing pressure to appear racially diverse, but have yet to account systematically for a quickly growing contingent of multiracial-identifying students. Drawing on interviews with multiracial-identifying undergraduates at Western University, I demonstrate how everyday university practices compromise multiracial identities in the pursuit of diversity. The term "compromise" carries dual meaning, referring to instances where Western refashioned multiracial identities into monoracial ones and instances where multiracial-identifying students were in compromised positions. Participants inferred how their identities might be most useful to the university in appearing diverse, leading them to question their belonging and even recast their identities accordingly. These interactions occurred across organizational contexts, including dorms, community centers, and classrooms. Persistent organizational representations of diversity in monoracial terms communicates to students that multiracial identities are both a challenge to accommodate and of potential utility to institutions seeking to appear as diverse as possible.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Multiracial Persons, Racial Identification, Student Diversity, Student Reaction, Race, Educational Policy, Educational Practices, Data Use, Data Interpretation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A