Publication Type: Paper (prepared oral presentation)
Abstract: In arguing that Asian Americans will readily assimilate to American culture, social scientists note the relatively high rate of intermarriage between Asian Americans and Whites. However, since Asian American females intermarry with Whites at a higher rate than their male counterparts, intermarriage may not be a good index of assimilation for Asian Americans in general, unless children born to Asian-White couples are perceived as either “mixed” or White, rather than as part of the minority group. Historically, the “one drop” rule, or hypodescent, has been used to categorize individuals with any known African American ancestry as Black, for both legal and social purposes. Two studies examine whether such a rule applies to individuals with part-Asian ancestry as well as to part-Black individuals. In both studies, participants were shown family trees in which mixed-race (Asian-White or Black-White) male or female targets were either ¼, ½, or ¾ Asian or Black, and asked to indicate whether they believed the target was White, minority, or mixed. Study 1, which used verbal labels to reveal racial background, indicates that hypodescent may apply to all mixed-race targets, but more strongly for part-Black targets. Study 2 used photographs to depict racial background, and confirmed findings from Study 1. It further revealed that targets who are ¼ Asian might be perceived more as “White” than as “Asian.” Implications for the assimilation of Asian Americans and “Black Exceptionalism” (Sears, Fu, Henry, & Bui, 2003) are discussed.