Overview
- 31. “Passing as Black: Identity Work among Biracial Americans,” Nikki Khanna and Cathryn Johnson.**
NOTE: POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FOR THE INCLUSION OF OUTSIDE REFERENCES. THE RESOURCES YOU NEED TO COMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS ARE IDENTIFIED ON THE COURSE SITE. IN OTHER WORDS, USE ONLY MATERIAL FROM YOUR TEXT.
FURTHER NOTE THAT AI DETECTION TOOLS MAY BE USED.
Thoroughly summarize this article. I define a thorough summary to mean a minimum of three well developed paragraphs, with each paragraph being composed of a minimum of five sentences.
As part of your summary be certain to detail what is meant by identity work. Does this phrase ("identity work") imply an active or passive conception of humans? Be specific. What does it mean to say that race is a social construction? Be specific. Detail the strategies respondents used to create a Black identity. Why might people wish to pass as Black? Be specific.
Respondents were young, female, educated, and of higher than average SES; in other words, they were privileged. Do you think folks of lower SES have the same resources to create a public identity? Be specific.
Finally, some people would refer to what is being detailed in the article as a form of code switching; others, including myself, think of it in terms of presenting different selves to different audiences (Goffman), which is generally quite normal. Reflecting on your own behavioral history as a kid, adolescent, and adult, TO WHAT DEGREE DO YOU, EVEN APART FROM THE CONSTRUCTION OF RACE AND ETHNICITY, PRESENT DIFFERENT SELVES TO DIFFERENT AUDIENCES? Be specific, providing examples.
If you are going to include a brief quote from the article use quotation marks, otherwise the words should be your own. Do not plagiarize or you will receive a zero.
Be certain to proofread your work prior to submission, as spelling, grammar, and punctuation count.
Required Text: Patricia A. Adler & Peter Adler, Constructions of Deviance: Social Power, Context, and Interaction, 8th ed. (2016). Wadsworth: Belmont, CA
- 31. “Passing as Black: Identity Work among Biracial Americans,” Nikki Khanna and Cathryn Johnson.**