Between Black and Brown

Blaxicans and Multiraciality in Comparative Historical Perspective

Author: Rebecca Romo, J. Sterphone and G. Reginald Daniel Series: Borderlands and Transcultural Studies

Between Black and Brown explores the experiences of Blaxicans, individuals with African American and Mexican American heritage, as they navigate American culture, which often clings to monoracial categorizations.

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Summary

Description

Between Black and Brown begins with a question: How do individuals with one African American parent and one Mexican American parent identify racially and ethnically? In answer, the authors explore the experiences of Blaxicans, individuals with African American and Mexican American heritage, as they navigate American culture, which often clings to monoracial categorizations.

Part 1 analyzes racial formation and the Blaxican borderlands, comparing racial orders in Anglo-America and Latin America. The Anglo-Americanization of “Latin” North America, particularly in the Gulf Coast and Southwest regions, shapes Black and Mexican American identities. Part 2 delves into Blaxicans’ lived experiences, examining their self-identification with pride and resilience. The book explores challenges and agency in navigating family, school, and community dynamics and discusses expectations regarding cultural authenticity. It also delves into Black and Brown relations and how situational contexts influence interactions. This work contributes to the discourse on multiracial identities and challenges prevailing monoracial norms in academia and society. Ultimately Between Black and Brown advocates for a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of identity, race, and culture.

Critic Reviews

“This is a groundbreaking work on dual minority multiracial identities. It is very readable and stimulating with a valuable and sophisticated theoretical discussion of multiracialism in the United States and a case study of Blaxicans.”—Laura A. Lewis, author of Chocolate and Corn Flour: History, Race, and Place in the Making of “Black” Mexico
“The authors do an excellent job of providing the theoretical frameworks, comparative historical analysis, and oral testimonies to illustrate how Blaxican identity is a borderlands space between Black and Brown communities, and how this ‘in-between or liminal space’ enables Blaxicans to reimagine space and identity in new, profound ways that embody both communities simultaneously.”—Rudy P. Guevarra Jr., author of Becoming Mexipino: Multiethnic Identities and Communities in San Diego

About the Author

Rebecca Romo is an associate professor of sociology at Santa Monica College. G. Reginald Daniel (1949–2022) was a professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was the cofounding editor and editor in chief of the Journal of Critical Mixed Race Studies and author or editor of numerous books, including More Than Black? Multiracial Identity and the New Racial Order. J Sterphone is a visiting assistant professor of sociology at Wheaton College.