White adjacency

White adjacency is the premise that some groups of non-White people are aligned with White people and that this adjacency gives them special privileges that are denied to people who are not white adjacent.[failed verification]

Non-white people may be considered white adjacent by choice or by cultural factors that have stereotyped them as white adjacent, such as the model minority stereotype.[failed verification][failed verification] Conversely, white adjacency can be sought by non-Black minorities who want to distance themselves from Black people.[failed verification] Mixed-race black people may, however, seek white adjacency. Asian Americans are often viewed as the most white adjacent minorities.[failed verification]

United States

In the United States, critical race theorists increasingly view East Asians as white adjacent.[failed verification]

However, according the Brookings Institution, 63% of Asian American respondents identify as people of color and 76% perceive their status as closer to people of color, suggesting that Asian Americans as a whole do not see themselves as white adjacent.

Diversity within white spaces is rarely represented by Black people, which some critical race theorists view as driving a wedge between minority communities by incentivizing Asians to retain their special status while reinforcing stereotypes.[failed verification] However, some Black people may present themselves as white adjacent, presumably to enjoy the benefits of whiteness. Such people are typically light-skinned enough to pass as White or anything but Black.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tecun, Arcia; Lopesi, Lana; Sankar, Anisha (October 21, 2022). Towards a Grammar of Race: In Aotearoa New Zealand. Bridget Williams Books. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-990046-60-5.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Tecun, Arcia; Lopesi, Lana; Sankar, Anisha (October 21, 2022). Towards a Grammar of Race: In Aotearoa New Zealand. Bridget Williams Books. pp. 87–100. ISBN 978-1-990046-60-5.
  3. 1 2 3 Romo, Rebecca; Daniel, G. Reginald; Sterphone, J. (October 2024). Between Black and Brown: Blaxicans and Multiraciality in Comparative Historical Perspective. U of Nebraska Press. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-4962-4066-8.
  4. ↑ "Are Asian Americans people of color or the next in line to become white?". Brookings.

Further reading