2022/12/03 by Sonia Giebel · 12 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Anthropology #Compromise #Critical Race Theory in Education #Diversity (politics) #Gender studies #Higher Education Research Studies #Meaning (existential) #Psychology #Racial and Ethnic Identity Research #Social psychology #Social science #Sociology
paper · doi:10.1177/00380407221139180
published in Sociology of Education 96(1), 1-18 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 2022/12/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
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.