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Methods of Measuring Multiracial Americans

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The Palgrave International Handbook of Mixed Racial and Ethnic Classification

Abstract

This chapter offers (1) a brief history of the classification of racial and ethnic groups in the USA, (2) a description of how multiracial people (those whose immediate and/or more distant ancestors come from different racial or ethnic groups) are currently classified and accommodated, (3) a discussion of some of the methodological issues in doing research on multiracial Americans, including how they are counted, how they are perceived, how they identify themselves, what factors affect their self-identifications, and how their identifications change over time, and (4) an analysis of how current systems can be changed or improved to better include multiracial identities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA

    Melissa R. Herman

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  1. Melissa R. Herman
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Correspondence to Melissa R. Herman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Zarine L. Rocha

  2. Centre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK

    Peter J. Aspinall

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Herman, M.R. (2020). Methods of Measuring Multiracial Americans. In: Rocha, Z.L., Aspinall, P.J. (eds) The Palgrave International Handbook of Mixed Racial and Ethnic Classification. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22874-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22874-3_5

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