White Americans, The New Minority? Non-Blacks and the Ever-Expanding Boundaries of Whiteness |
White Americans, The New Minority? Non-Blacks and the Ever-Expanding Boundaries of Whiteness
Jonathan W. Warren, Associate Professor of International and Latin American Studies
University of Washington
France Winddance Twine, Professor of Sociology
University of California, Santa Barbara
Journal of Black Studies
Volume 28, Number 2 (November 1997)
pages 200-218
Argues that in the United States the “white” racial category has expanded across time to include groups previously considered “non-white.” The role of blacks in this expansion is explored as well as whether white Americans are really becoming a numerical minority. An alternative racial future to the one frequently forecasted is suggested.
…But are Whites really becoming a minority? Does the escalation of non-European immigrants mean that minorities are becoming a majority? The logic of the argument appears sound enough: Immigration from Asia and Latin America is increasing, and because these people are non-Whites, then eventually non-Whites will be in the numerical majority. Yet, this argument hinges on an unexamined premise—the essentialist premise that Whiteness is a fixed racial category. In other words, one can only draw the conclusion that Whites are becomin a minority if one assumes that racial categories are static across time and place. However, as the following experience of Amy Pagnozzi suggests, such an assumption is dubious at best…
…In this article, we will argue that in the United States the “White” racial category has expanded across time to include groups previously considered “non-White.” The Irish will be used as an example of how groups, at one time considered to be neither White nor Black, have been racially repositioned as White. We will then explore the importance of the role of Blacks in the expansion of the White category. Finally, we will return to the question of whether White Americans are actually in danger of becoming a numerical minority, given the sharp increase in Latin American and Asian immigration, and suggest an alternative racial future to the one so often forecasted….
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Tags: France Winddance Twine, Jonathan W. Warren, Jonathan Warren, Journal of Black Studies