Racial contestation and the multidimensionality of race
Abstract
Most quantitative social scientific research on race employs uni-dimensional measures of racial classification often self-described by the respondent. However, the social significance of race is related not only to personal identification, but also how one is perceived racially by others. Utilizing the first nationally representative survey to ask respondents directly about personal racial identity and external racial ascription, this dissertation illustrates that a significant subset of adults in the U.S. have a contested racial identity. That is, their personal racial identity does not match how they are perceived racially by others. One substantial implication is that by employing only uni-dimensional measures of race, most statistical studies gloss over important systematic variation in how individuals live and experience race. If we are to take the social construction of race seriously, we need not only consider personal racial identity, but also whether such identities are commonly confirmed or contested by others in social interaction. In the form of three separate empirical studies, this dissertation details the multi-dimensionality of race as it relates to issues of racial identity, perceived racial discrimination, colorblind ideology adherence, and the potential for racial transformation in the U.S.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Stainback, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Sociology|Ethnic studies
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