Biracial Britain: why mixed-race people must be able to decide ...

What's all this mixed-race nonsense? If you're not white, you're black.” So said a legendary black British broadcaster to Sunder Katwala, a ... Menu Close Home Edition Africa Australia Canada Canada(français) España France Global Indonesia NewZealand UnitedKingdom UnitedStates Edition: Availableeditions Global Getnewsletter Becomeanauthor Signupasareader Signin AnnaNahabed/Shutterstock RemiAdekoya,UniversityofYork Author RemiAdekoya AssociateLecturerinPolitics,UniversityofYork Disclosurestatement RemiAdekoyadoesnotworkfor,consult,ownsharesinorreceivefundingfromanycompanyororganisationthatwouldbenefitfromthisarticle,andhasdisclosednorelevantaffiliationsbeyondtheiracademicappointment. Partners UniversityofYorkprovidesfundingasamemberofTheConversationUK. Viewallpartners Email Twitter Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Messenger “Mixedrace?What’sallthismixed-racenonsense?Ifyou’renotwhite,you’reblack.”SosaidalegendaryblackBritishbroadcastertoSunderKatwala,amixed-raceBritonIinterviewedformynewbookBiracialBritain,duringaconversationtheyhadonidentity. KatwalahasanIndianfatherandIrishmotherwithnoblackrootsofwhichheisaware.Whenhepointedthisout,hewasaskedwhyinthatcasehedidn’tsimplycallhimselfIndian.WasheashamedofhisIndianroots? Theexchangetypifiesthekindofsocialrealitymixed-racepeopleknowalltoowell:onethatcombinesabinarywayofthinkingaboutidentity,andtherightmonoracialsocietyconfersonitselftotellmixed-racepeoplehowtheyshouldidentify. Auniqueidentity Thenotionofastandalonemixed-raceidentitythatisnotanoffshootofoneofthemorefamiliaridentitiessuchasblack,whiteorAsianisnotsomethingmonoracialBritainandthewiderworldtakesseriouslyyet.IfBarackObamahadaskedtobecalledthefirstbiracialpresidentofAmerica,manywouldhavefrownedinconfusion.Firstblackpresidentweget,butfirstbiracialpresident?What’sthatallabout? InBritain,MeghanMarkle’sracialidentitysparkedanationaldebateeventhoughsheherselfexplicitlystatedbackin2015thatsheidentifiesasbiracial.America’snewvicepresidentKamalaHarrishaspresentedauniquechallengetoidentitypronouncersinthatsheisanevenlessunderstoodkindofmixedrace–onewithnowhiteparentinthebackground.Thedefaulthasbeentomostlylabelherablackwoman. MeghanMarklehasalwaysmadeitclearsheidentifiesasbiracial. ComposedPix/Shutterstock Acommonthemeinallthesecasesisthatmonoracialcommentatorshavedominatedthepublicdebateaboutwhattheseindividuals’identitiesareorshouldbe.AsthesonofaNigerianfatherandPolishmother,IfounditsomewhatoddwatchingdebatesaboutMarkle’sidentityonBritishTVinwhicheveryonewasmonoracial–eitherblackorwhite,withnomixed-racevoices. Thatislikeanall-whitepaneldiscussingwhatblacknessmeansorviceversa.Historicallyconditionedbytheneedtosurviveinsocietiesdominatedbysingleracialgroups,mixed-racepeoplehaverarelycontestedthisimposition.Instead,wehavesimplyadaptedtowhateveridentitylabelsthosearoundushavedecidedtoassignusorwhichhaveemergedasaresultofhistoricalinterracialconflicts. Aclassiccasebeingthe“one-droprule”,dreamedupbywhiteAmericansegregationists,whichpronouncedapersonwithanyblackancestry“black”inabidtohardenracialboundariesandfosteranairofexclusivityaroundwhiteness.ThoughnolongerlawinanyAmericanstate,thisideacontinuestoshapeperceptionsofpeoplewithblackancestryintheUSandotherwhitemajoritysocieties.ItisthekeyreasonObamawaseffectivelyleftwithnorealisticchoicebuttoidentifyasblack,afactheacknowledgedina2007interview. Timetolisten Duringmyresearch,aprocesswhichinvolvedconductinginterviewswithmixed-raceBritonsofvariousagesandracialbackgrounds,Igotasensethatattitudesareshifting.Thatmixed-racepeoplearetiredofplayingconstantdefenceonidentityandarefeelingmoreconfidenttoasserttheidentitytheyfeelratherthansimplyacceptwhateversocietyassignsthem.Thegame-changerhasbeenourgrowthinnumbers. Thelastcensusconductedin2011,afulldecadeago,recordedover1.2millionmixed-raceBritons,almostdoublethenumberitlistedinthe2001census.Thisitselfwaslikelyanundercountasnotallchildrenofmixedmarriageswouldhavebeentickedinoneofthemixedcategories.AnanalysisbyAlitaNandiofEssexUniversityandLucindaPlattoftheLondonSchoolofEconomicssuggeststhetruefiguretodaycouldbethreetimesashigh. AccordingtoprojectionscommissionedbypoliticalscientistEricKaufmannforhisbookWhiteshift:Populism,ImmigrationandtheFutureofWhiteMajorities,Britaincouldbe30%mixed-racebytheendofthiscentury. KamalaHarrisandBarackObamahaveexperiencedissuesovertheirmixedraceidentitiesintermsofhowtheyareperceivedanddescribed. JonathanErnst/EPA-EFE AlloverBritain,mixed-racepeoplenowconstantlyseemanyotherslikethemaroundthem.Thesenseofvulnerabilitythatcomeswithfeelingpeoplelikeyouareatinyminorityinsocietyisdisappearing.WhilemanyIspoketostillstrugglewiththecontradictionsanduncertaintiesofnavigatingmultipleracialidentities,thereisalsoagrowingrealisationthatitistimemonoracialsocietystartedadaptingtousaswell,notsolelytheotherwayround. “Itislesswewhoareconfusedaboutbeingmixed-racethanitissocietybeingconfusedabouthowtodealwithus,”the38-year-olddaughterofaZimbabweanfatherandEnglish-Germanmothersaidtome.OrasDanyal,the23-year-oldsonofanEnglishfatherandPakistanimotherobserved: Thedaysofracialpurity,beitblack,whiteorAsian,areoverandareaprettyold-schoolidea.Mygenerationwon’taccepttheideaoffixedracialandidentityboundariesorpeopleimposingonthemwhotheyareallowedtofeellike,theyjustwon’t. Fewreasonablepeopletodaywoulddisputethefactthatraceisasocialconstruct,somethingwehumansimaginedintoexistence.Whichbynomeansdetractsfromitspowerfulimpactonpeople’severydaylives.Whatultimatelymattersiswhatpeoplebelievematters. Thegoodnewsisthatthatwhichhasbeenimaginedcanbereimagined.Thekeyistorecreatesocialconstructsofraceandidentityinawaythatoffersthegreatestopportunitypossibleforpeopletothrive.Whenitcomestomixed-racepeople,thewaytostartisbysocietyaskinguswhoweare,nottellingus. Identity Events Moreevents Jobs Director,HumanResources Lawyer SeniorLecturerinOralSurgeryandAnatomy ResearchAssociate IndustrialOfficer(Senior) Morejobs EditorialPolicies Communitystandards Republishingguidelines Analytics Ourfeeds Getnewsletter Whoweare Ourcharter Ourteam Partnersandfunders Resourceformedia Contactus ​ ​ ​