Leanne Taylor, Faculty of Education, York University: “Interrogating identities: Exploring racism, community and belonging among mixed race youth in Canada”
Youth Research Symposium
April 2, 2008
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. | St. John’s College Social Lounge
Organized by the Centre for Culture, Identity and Education and sponsored by the University of Cambridge, UK
Abstract
The past two decades have witnessed large, international shifts in the ways in which mixed race identity, experiences, and perspectives have been addressed and understood. Historically portrayed as tragic and confused, mixed race individuals are increasingly being celebrated and featured in a range of new settings. For example, new media such as mixed race blogs, websites, Facebook groups, as well as other emerging products such as dolls, toys, and books documenting experiences of growing up ‘mixed’, are all new resources from which many of today’s young multiracial population can draw. Mixed race youth are not only participating in these venues, but are increasingly becoming their creators. In this paper, I explore a set of Canadian texts and new media in which mixed race youth narrate their experiences. I suggest that the ideas coming out of those conversations offer an important critique of contemporary discussions of not only racial identity construction, but of discourses on youth identity. Drawing on critical theories of race, critical ‘mixed race’ theory, and cultural studies, I ask: What do mixed race youth’s stories tell us about what it means to grow up racially mixed? Accordingly, what do their experiences tell us about identity, community and Canada’s multicultural context? How do mixed race youth use these forums to articulate and nurture identities, foster a sense of belonging and community, and negotiate their complex experiences with racism, ambiguity and over-celebration of mixture among family, friends, and in schools? I suggest that these experiences elaborate the complexities of youth identity, highlight the significance of youth group organizing, and uniquely invite us to challenge traditional conceptualizations of race and racism. As educators and academics, our responsibilities must include a critical engagement with a variety of social contexts, knowledge sets and experiences if we are to understand the complexities of a host of youth identities, including those of mixed race youth.