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The Invisible Minorities: Identity Construction of Multiracial Asian Americans

The Invisible Minorities: Identity Construction of Multiracial Asian Americans

San Jose State University
August 2003
136 pages

Jennifer Huyhn Thi Ahn Morrison, Lecturer AY-A of Communication Studies
San Jose State University

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of Communication Studies at San Jose State University in partial fulfulliment of the requriements for the degree Master of Arts.

A review of the literature found that Ethnic Studies focused on multiracial Asian American identity more than any other field. However, multiracial Asian Americans are still in need of further research because of the many different types of identity construction that may occur. From the array of literature found in Communication Studies, only a few encompass how a multiracial individual communicates her or his identity construction. Thus, in my Master’s thesis I found that the complexity of multiracial identity construction encompasses three types of communication cues in relation to familial closeness. Through the analysis of five in-depth interviews I found there to be a profound influence on how the double minority multiracial individual is raced and how she or he identifies. Therefore, after examining the construction of double minority multiracial Asian Americans, there is a greater ability to understand how a complex multiracial identity is communicated.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: THE WORLD OF MULTIRACIALITY

  • Introduction
  • Rationale
  • Key Terms
  • Ethnicity & Race
  • Monoracial
  • Multiracial
  • Minority Group
  • Majority Group
  • Literature Review
  • Identity
  • Multiracial Identity
  • Identity of Multiracial Asian Americans

CHAPTER 2: INTERVIEWS FROM THE DOMAIN OF MULTIRACIALITY

  • Qualitative In-depth Interviews
  • Research Questions
  • Procedures
  • Mode of Analysis

CHAPTER 3: SELECTIVE MONORACIAL IDENTITY

  • Selective Monoracial Identity
  • Familial Closeness

CHAPTER 4: THE ISSUES OF PASSING & BEING RACED

  • Authenticity
  • Racial Status

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION

  • Inclusion of The Invisible Minority
  • SMI
  • Familial Communicative Cues
  • A Visual Represention of Multiracial Identity Development
  • Limitations
  • Implications for Future Research

REFERENCES

Read the entire thesis here.

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