Maria Root\u27s collection of readings cognitively and emotionally engage the reader in the psychosocial experience of being multiracial. These readings also foster a critical awareness of the implications of rising numbers of multiracial persons for issues of inter-group race relations and national identity. This awareness forces readers to re-examine the meanings and construction of race beyond the traditional five monoracial categories traditionally used to gather census data

Niemann, Yolanda Flores

English

VCU Scholars Compass

Book Reviews 
ary permeabi l ity- -a cornerstone of the postethn ic  o rder- - remains remote, 
and ethno-rac ia l  identit ies harden as a consequence.  
Postethnic America cogent ly  examines mu lt icu l tura l i sm against 
the backd rop of the author's moral  unease about the eth n ic and rac ia l  
fau lt l i nes runn i ng  across the U n ited States . I t  commands the attent ion 
of anyone concerned about race ,  ethn icity and the American futu re. 
Jack G laz ier  
Oberl i n  Co l lege 
Maria P. P. R oot. The Multiracial Experience: Racial Borders a s  the 
New Frontier. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1 996.)  
Mar ia Root's co l lect ion of read ings  cogn it ive ly  and emotiona l ly  
engage the reader i n  the psychosocial  exper ience of be i ng  mu l t i rac ia l .  
These read ings a lso foste r a cr i t ical aware ness of  the imp l icat ions of 
ris i ng  numbers of mu lt i racial  pe rsons for issues of i nter-g roup race re la­
t ions and nat ional  ident ity. Th is awareness fo rces reade rs to re-exam­
ine the mean ings and construct ion of race beyond the t rad i t ional  f ive 
monorac ia l  catego ries trad it iona l ly  used to gather  census data. 
The book is  we l l  o rgan ized and beg i ns  with a d ia log of imp l ica­
t ions of de jure and de facto aspects of the American t rad i t ion of rac ia l  
c lassif icat ion by hypodescent ,  o r  the "one d rop ru le . "  D iscuss ion cen­
ters on the government's ro le i n  the perpetuat ion of th is  blatantly rac ist 
idea l ,  rep resented by O M B  Di rect ive 1 5 , which estab l ishes the race and 
ethn ic standards for federa l  stat ist ics. Particu larly ins ightfu l  is the ins ider's 
look at the debate among and between rac ia l/ethn ic  m inority g roups on 
imp l icat ions for po l it ics of  co l lective ident ity of amend ing  th is  d i rective 
by inc lud ing a mu l t i racial  c lassif icat ion .  Fo r i nstance,  the addit ion of a 
"mu lt i racial" category cou ld  p lay an important part i n  d ismantl i ng  rac ia l  
construct ion as we know it today and , i n  the p rocess ,  respect the iden­
t i ty r ig hts of mu lt i rac ia l  i nd iv idua ls  who m ust negot iate m i nef ie lds of po­
l it ical and social ident i f icat ion .  On  the othe r hand ,  the seeming  contra­
d ict ion of B lacks' i ns istence of maintai n i ng  the one d rop ru le in the i r 
strugg le  against wh ite domi nat ion is we l l  represented . 
The essence of the book is the confrontat ion with the t rad i t ional  
structu ral and h ie rarchical  issues to be faced as the nat ion pu rsues the 
d ialog of race identity and race re lat ions ,  espec ia l ly  as these are com­
m ing led wi th issues of gender, sexual  or ientat ion ,  soc ia l  c lass ,  and b io­
log ical ve rsus  cu l tural  dete rmi nants of  ident i ty. D iscuss ion i nc l udes non­
obvious i mpl icat ions of  today's d iv is ive issues, such as crit ical roles p layed 
by mu lt icu lt u ral  educat ion and d ivers ity in the c lassroom in mi t igat i ng  
the  effects o f  rac ism i n  society, the ro le o f  t rans rac ia l  adopt ions i n  exac­
e rbat ing  the ste reotype that Black parents a re not i nterested in adopt ion 
1 23 
Ethnic Studies Review Vol .  1 9 ,  No. 1 
and i n  s u rmount ing rac ia l  po l it ics i n  provid i ng  for ch i l d ren ,  and on  the 
h i story of aff i l i at ion and conf l ict between B lacks and Jews. 
This confrontat ion with nat ional issues has seemed to overwhelm 
issues of personal  rac ia l/ethn ic ident i ty such that mu lt i rac ia ls have been 
forced to develop st rateg ies to negot iate the borders of race.  St rateg ies 
range f rom us ing  s ituat iona l  ethn ic ity and , hav ing l i ngu i st ic f lex ib i l i ty, to  
the ab i l ity to s imu ltaneous ly embrace mu l t ip le  perspectives. These "bor­
der cross i ngs" by mu lt i rac ia l  i nd iv iduals defy the t rad i t ional  monorac ia l  
c lass if icat ions of  race and fo rce us to th i nk  of  ways i n  wh ich the new 
d ialog may he lp  d ismant le negative construct ions of race .  In the f i na l  
analys is ,  the author  leads us to  a d iscuss ion ,  not  on ly of  i nd iv idua l  race 
ident ity in p rocess, but the more profound imp l icat ions of nat iona l  iden­
t ity. By re leas i ng  i ts  f i rm ho ld on the ru le of  hypodescent ,  the U n ited 
States i s  i tself in the p rocess of a new identity which may br ing  the coun ­
t ry f u l l  c i rc le  to  the or ig i na l  not ion o f  t he  ideal  o f  a "melt i ng  pot." 
Yo landa F lores N iemann 
E .  L inco ln  James 
Wash i ngton State Un ivers ity 
Vernon J. W i l l i a m s ,  J r. Rethinking Race: Franz Boas and His Con­
temporaries. ( Lex i n gton : U n ivers ity Press of Kentucky, 1 996) 1 52 
p p . ,  $34.95 clot h ,  $ 1 5 .95 paper. 
The term "J i m  C row I I " i s  f req uent ly used by Af r ican Amer icans 
to descr ibe contemporary American race re lat ions ,  by wh ich they mean 
that j ust as lega l  seg regat ion ,  lynch ing  and vot ing  rest rict ions fo l lowed 
emanc ipat ion ,  so has a period of rac ist react ion fo l lowed the successes 
of the C iv i l  R i ghts movement .  W i l l iams sees paral le ls  between the two 
periods :  "I have attempted to descr ibe and analyze the ideas of persons 
who p rovided , i n  a t ime comparable to ou r  own, the bases of  soph i st i ­
cated d iscuss ion of race and race re lat ions . "  Wi l l iams i s  too good a 
h i stor ian to sett le  for mere ly demonstrat ing para l le ls ;  he a lso traces the 
cont i nu i ng  conf l ict between Ame rican soc ia l  science wh ich ,  with some 
notable except ions ,  has been aggressively ant i - racist s i nce the 1 930s ,  
a n d  Amer ica's deeply i ng ra i ned rac ism.  
Franz Boas , born i nto a German Jewish  househo ld ,  and de­
scr i bed by W i l l iams as the "father  of modern Amer ican anth ropology," 
is the p ivotal f i g u re i n  Rethinking Race. I n  h i s  work and h i s  re lat ions 
with co l leag ues ,  wh ite and B lack ,  Boas embod ied wh ite Ame rica's con­
f l i ct i ng  ideas about race .  O nce Boas "had estab l is hed that wh ite p rej u ­
d ice was the majo r  obstac le to b lack p rogress,  rather  t han  assu med 
i n nate rac ia l  t ra i ts ,  i t became exceed i ng ly d iff icu lt fo r anth ropology and 
1 24 


[Review of] Maria P. P. Root, The Multiracial Experience: Racial Borders as the New Frontier

Book Reviews ary permeabi l ity- -a cornerstone of the postethn ic  o rder- - remains remote, and ethno-rac ia l  identit ies harden as a consequence.  Postethnic America cogent ly  examines mu lt icu l tura l i sm against the backd rop of the author's moral  unease about the eth n ic and rac ia l  fau lt l i nes runn i ng  across the U n ited States . I t  commands the attent ion of anyone concerned about race ,  ethn icity and the American futu re. Jack G laz ier  Oberl i n  Co l lege Maria P. P. R oot. The Multiracial Experience: Racial Borders a s  the New Frontier. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1 996.)  Mar ia Root's co l lect ion of read ings  cogn it ive ly  and emotiona l ly  engage the reader i n  the psychosocial  exper ience of be i ng  mu l t i rac ia l .  These read ings a lso foste r a cr i t ical aware ness of  the imp l icat ions of ris i ng  numbers of mu lt i racial  pe rsons for issues of i nter-g roup race re la­t ions and nat ional  ident ity. Th is awareness fo rces reade rs to re-exam­ine the mean ings and construct ion of race beyond the t rad i t ional  f ive monorac ia l  catego ries trad it iona l ly  used to gather  census data. The book is  we l l  o rgan ized and beg i ns  with a d ia log of imp l ica­t ions of de jure and de facto aspects of the American t rad i t ion of rac ia l  c lassif icat ion by hypodescent ,  o r  the "one d rop ru le . "  D iscuss ion cen­ters on the government's ro le i n  the perpetuat ion of th is  blatantly rac ist idea l ,  rep resented by O M B  Di rect ive 1 5 , which estab l ishes the race and ethn ic standards for federa l  stat ist ics. Particu larly ins ightfu l  is the ins ider's look at the debate among and between rac ia l/ethn ic  m inority g roups on imp l icat ions for po l it ics of  co l lective ident ity of amend ing  th is  d i rective by inc lud ing a mu l t i racial  c lassif icat ion .  Fo r i nstance,  the addit ion of a "mu lt i racial" category cou ld  p lay an important part i n  d ismantl i ng  rac ia l  construct ion as we know it today and , i n  the p rocess ,  respect the iden­t i ty r ig hts of mu lt i rac ia l  i nd iv idua ls  who m ust negot iate m i nef ie lds of po­l it ical and social ident i f icat ion .  On  the othe r hand ,  the seeming  contra­d ict ion of B lacks' i ns istence of maintai n i ng  the one d rop ru le in the i r strugg le  against wh ite domi nat ion is we l l  represented . The essence of the book is the confrontat ion with the t rad i t ional  structu ral and h ie rarchical  issues to be faced as the nat ion pu rsues the d ialog of race identity and race re lat ions ,  espec ia l ly  as these are com­m ing led wi th issues of gender, sexual  or ientat ion ,  soc ia l  c lass ,  and b io­log ical ve rsus  cu l tural  dete rmi nants of  ident i ty. D iscuss ion i nc l udes non­obvious i mpl icat ions of  today's d iv is ive issues, such as crit ical roles p layed by mu lt icu lt u ral  educat ion and d ivers ity in the c lassroom in mi t igat i ng  the  effects o f  rac ism i n  society, the ro le o f  t rans rac ia l  adopt ions i n  exac­e rbat ing  the ste reotype that Black parents a re not i nterested in adopt ion 1 23 Ethnic Studies Review Vol .  1 9 ,  No. 1 and i n  s u rmount ing rac ia l  po l it ics i n  provid i ng  for ch i l d ren ,  and on  the h i story of aff i l i at ion and conf l ict between B lacks and Jews. This confrontat ion with nat ional issues has seemed to overwhelm issues of personal  rac ia l/ethn ic ident i ty such that mu lt i rac ia ls have been forced to develop st rateg ies to negot iate the borders of race.  St rateg ies range f rom us ing  s ituat iona l  ethn ic ity and , hav ing l i ngu i st ic f lex ib i l i ty, to  the ab i l ity to s imu ltaneous ly embrace mu l t ip le  perspectives. These "bor­der cross i ngs" by mu lt i rac ia l  i nd iv iduals defy the t rad i t ional  monorac ia l  c lass if icat ions of  race and fo rce us to th i nk  of  ways i n  wh ich the new d ialog may he lp  d ismant le negative construct ions of race .  In the f i na l  analys is ,  the author  leads us to  a d iscuss ion ,  not  on ly of  i nd iv idua l  race ident ity in p rocess, but the more profound imp l icat ions of nat iona l  iden­t ity. By re leas i ng  i ts  f i rm ho ld on the ru le of  hypodescent ,  the U n ited States i s  i tself in the p rocess of a new identity which may br ing  the coun ­t ry f u l l  c i rc le  to  the or ig i na l  not ion o f  t he  ideal  o f  a "melt i ng  pot." Yo landa F lores N iemann E .  L inco ln  James Wash i ngton State Un ivers ity Vernon J. W i l l i a m s ,  J r. Rethinking Race: Franz Boas and His Con­temporaries. ( Lex i n gton : U n ivers ity Press of Kentucky, 1 996) 1 52 p p . ,  $34.95 clot h ,  $ 1 5 .95 paper. The term "J i m  C row I I " i s  f req uent ly used by Af r ican Amer icans to descr ibe contemporary American race re lat ions ,  by wh ich they mean that j ust as lega l  seg regat ion ,  lynch ing  and vot ing  rest rict ions fo l lowed emanc ipat ion ,  so has a period of rac ist react ion fo l lowed the successes of the C iv i l  R i ghts movement .  W i l l iams sees paral le ls  between the two periods :  "I have attempted to descr ibe and analyze the ideas of persons who p rovided , i n  a t ime comparable to ou r  own, the bases of  soph i st i ­cated d iscuss ion of race and race re lat ions . "  Wi l l iams i s  too good a h i stor ian to sett le  for mere ly demonstrat ing para l le ls ;  he a lso traces the cont i nu i ng  conf l ict between Ame rican soc ia l  science wh ich ,  with some notable except ions ,  has been aggressively ant i - racist s i nce the 1 930s ,  a n d  Amer ica's deeply i ng ra i ned rac ism.  Franz Boas , born i nto a German Jewish  househo ld ,  and de­scr i bed by W i l l iams as the "father  of modern Amer ican anth ropology," is the p ivotal f i g u re i n  Rethinking Race. I n  h i s  work and h i s  re lat ions with co l leag ues ,  wh ite and B lack ,  Boas embod ied wh ite Ame rica's con­f l i ct i ng  ideas about race .  O nce Boas "had estab l is hed that wh ite p rej u ­d ice was the majo r  obstac le to b lack p rogress,  rather  t han  assu med i n nate rac ia l  t ra i ts ,  i t became exceed i ng ly d iff icu lt fo r anth ropology and 1 24 

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[Review of] Maria P. P. Root, The Multiracial Experience: Racial Borders as the New Frontier

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