index:Mixed-Race Events:Intermix.org.uk

Intermix.org.uk is a website for the benefit of mixed-race families, individuals and anyone who feels they have a multiracial identity and want to join us.

Our mission is to offer a view of the mixed-race experience, highlighting icons, film, books, poetry, parenting techniques, celebrities, real lives and much more.

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Academic Papers

Many academics have discussed the mixed-race experience and as a way to keep the discussions going we have brought many of the papers together here on Intermix. Some of these papers are also listed on our forums where you can leave your comments. There is a link to each forum entry at the end of each paper.

'A Socio-Genetic Experiment': Hip Hop and the 'Mixed-Race' Experience
This article explores some of the lyrics about the ‘mixed-race’ experience in Hip Hop. It does not aim to provide an exhaustive list of songs which have engaged with issues of ‘mixed-race,’ but to serve as an introduction. The article is borne out of my longstanding interest in Hip Hop, and much of the research involved me consulting my ever-growing record collection, and songs which have come to my attention over the years. More...

	'Mixed' families: Assumptions And New Approaches Dr Chamion Cabellero Though Britain has long been host to mixed relationships and population groups, since the 1990s there has been a noticeable public interest in those who are part of, or a product of, mixed relationships; what has been dubbed 'Beige' or 'Brown Britain'. More...
	The Diversity Of 'The' Mixed-Race Population In Britain Dr Miri Song The growth of 'mixed race' people and relationships today makes nonsense out of the idea that there exist distinct, 'natural' 'races' among people in multiethnic societies around the world. More...
	Mixed-Race People In Advertising Emma Dabiri London is the home of most of the advertising industry. 20 per cent of the population is [from an ethnic minority background] but only 4.5 per cent of people in advertising agencies are from ethnic minorities. More...
	The Mixed-Race Population And Enjoying Art And Culture Hassan Mahamdallie As with all humanity a mixed race person may be any combination - you may be rich, you may be poor, you may be regarded as beautiful or ugly, you may be a wonderful musician or you may be tone deaf, love opera or punk. More...
	You Wouldn’t Let It Lie Dr Daniel McNeil I am old enough to remember nasty little labels like "half-caste" being tossed around British streets and screens during the 1980s and 90s. On the other hand, I am also able to indulge in fits of nostalgia about popular British catchphrases like "you wouldn't let it lie". More...
	Judgement Of Solomon Savita De Sousa & John Simmonds The title of this paper comes from the story of King Solomon, who made a judgement in the case of two women who came to see him carrying a dead baby and a living one with each claiming the living child as her own. More...
	Identifications and Cultural Practices of Mixed-Heritage Youth Prof Martyn Barrett In this paper, we report findings from a research project which explored how British Bangladeshi and mixed-heritage adolescents living in London negotiate the demands of living with multiple cultures. More...
	On Being Mixed-Race Sir Keith Ajegbo The intention of this article is to give a brief history of myself as a mixed- race person and to reflect on how I have contextualised myself and my attempts to contextualise being mixed race. More...
	Gendering Mixed-Race - Deconstructing Mixedness Dr Suki Ali This short paper arises from the workshop of the same title from which this collection comes, in which we presented some of our perspectives on the contemporary interest in mixedness. More...
	The Elephant In The Room Tanya Datta There is an elephant in the kitchen of race relations. Actually, it's not in the kitchen, but more in the spare bedroom of race relations. More...
	Community Through Diversity: Mixed-Race Identity Online Veli Aghdiran A look at how mixed-race online groups are pushing the notion of community in a fresh direction, and the positive repercussions this might have. More...
	First Person Eve Ahmed Eve Ahmed When I was growing up, life was bleached white. At all three of my schools - infant's, primary and secondary - there were two or three lonely-looking African Caribbean and Asian girls, while everyone else was definitively pale-skinned. More...
	Racial Identity - To Have Or To Be Isabel Adonis The philosopher and psychoanalyst, Erich Fromm, distinguishes two kinds of identity, characterized in terms of having and being. The 'having' identity is grounded in the external and material. More...
	Not Black Enough Lin King I was born in 1949 to a white woman and a black father. I was put into care from birth. I do not think that this was unusual at the time. More...
	Black And White Doesn't Do The Trick Toby Laurent Belson Black and White doesn't do the trick. It does not come close to doing the trick. The trick is to describe a person without resorting to a longwinded sentence. Describe that person as 'Black', and what do you get? Describe the person as 'White' and now what do you get? More...
	Enigmatic Or Enriched? Tod O'Brien I prefer to use the term "Mixed Heritage" to describe myself. There is actually only one human race and we are all part of it, "mixed race" may imply that there are many races within the one human race and to me that also implies and reinforces the implied hierarchy. More...
	Learning About Racism Sue Funge Having grown up with the influence of the hippy movement - promoting love and peace, and a message that we are all equal, men and women, black and white - I guess I wasn't aware of the devastating impact racism can have. More...
	Mixed-Race: The Future’s Bright, The Future’s Blended Dr Nathalie Van Meurs It's easy to think in black, white, yellow, red. Human beings like to take thinking short cuts while making sense of the world. One of the easiest ways to categorise people is by how they look: the way they dress, what biological sex they are, and what skin colour they have. More...
	Statistics - The Census Question Charlie Owen The first time an ethnic question was included in a British census was in 1991. Extensive testing of a possible ethnic question had been conducted. Some tested versions included an option of ticking more than one category, but multi-ticking was found to be unreliable. More...
	Mixed Heritage: Perspectives On Health And Welfare Prof Mark Johnson To a significant extent, the development of the UK social care system was intimately affected by the growth of populations of mixed heritage, or 'mixed race'; the result often of liaison between Black (African and Asian) workers in the merchant marine and women in major port towns. More...
	Against The Term 'Mixed-Race' Linda Bellos I loathe the term 'mixed race' almost as much I as I loath 'half-caste' as a description of who I am or part of who I am. What does 'full-caste' look like, I wonder? What exactly is a 'race' in terms of biology, genetics or societies? More...
	The Need For A New Mix: Literature And Cultural Representation Adebe DeRango-Adem My academic research has brought me to a problematic theme in the literary tradition: the disappearance of mixed race individuals, who are caught between racial worlds and are represented as neither here nor there. More...
	First Person: Amanda Hussain Amanda Hussain I'm a broadcaster and live in Winchester, Hampshire, with my husband Ian, a film publicist, and our five-year-old daughter, Lola. I'm used to describing myself as mixed race and yet a friend recently picked me upon it and argued that we should now be saying 'dual heritage' instead. More...
	Ethnic Intermarriage: Love Is Not Enough Bina Radia-Bond Mixed relationships are indubitably a rising global trend. Britain has the highest rate in Europe. This should not, however, be taken as a utopian move towards the romantic blurring of ethnic boundaries: More...
	Identity As Relationship Bob Macintosh I never used to think of myself as white. I would tick the box on forms - white was always the default, always first on the list - but it had no more meaning to me than my national insurance number, and I have never thought that I was LL nn nn nn L. More...
	Assimilation And Mixed-Race Populations Dr D. Emily Hicks I was not born in the UK. However, the story of my mixed ancestry family has a link to Cornwall. My paternal great-grandmother was born in Cornwall. I share with postcolonial families a complex family structure. More...
	Mixed-Race and Mixed Families in Britain: The Case of Growing up in a Mixed Faith Family Dr Elisabeth Arweck Embedded within issues of mixed race ('mixedness') and mixed families ('mixing') are families which do not only combine ethnic backgrounds, but also faith backgrounds. More...
	A White Woman’s Experience Of 'Mixing' Gill Lawrence If you have grown up in a predominantly white community, suddenly experiencing racism when you have Black friends or lovers can be quite a shock. I would like to share a few experiences I have had. More...
	A Mixed Society Should Be A Positive Society Graham Suppiah Lewis Hamilton has burst onto the Formula 1 scene at breakneck pace, giving many a Journalist a story to tell. Yet every article I have read refers to Hamilton as the first black Formula 1 racing driver. More...
	Thai-British Families: Towards A Deeper Understanding Of 'Mixedness' Jessica Mai Sims The stereotypes of Thai women as synonymous with mail-order brides, prostitutes and subservient wives featured prominently in the daily lives of most of the Thai women interviewed - and their partners. More...
	Mixed-Race Britain - Through My Eyes Rory Campbell Soon we will not be discussing the differences between the 'races' but the similarities that we share and realise that when it comes down to it we are all human, just different shades. More...
	Dodging The -Ism Dr Sarita Malik The politics of how mixedness is actually 'used' in society, not just on government policy levels but also within the personal terrain, is important. It is here that we discover not just the real pleasures but also the inherent prejudices in our midst. More...
	Mixed-Race Theory For Everyone Dr Jin Haritaworn We have come a long way since colonial and Nazi scientists declared us degenerate monstrosities who combined the 'worst of both worlds'. Jayne Ifekwunigwe, the theorist of British mixed-race, ironically describes this as 'race science fiction'. More...
	Equality And Mixed Couples: The Final Frontier Ashley Chilshom MixTogether.org is a community website dedicated to helping mixed couples (mixed race, religion, caste) who face opposition to their relationship from family or community. More...
	Black and Minority Ethnic Health Inequalities and the 'Mixed-Race' Population Ayo Bakare In 2006 I carried out research focusing on the recognition of inequalities in health for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups. More...
	A Mixed-Race Experience Bradley Lincoln I am 37 year-old man living in Manchester. A son, a brother an uncle and I love reggae music. I have worked in education for the past 15 years and currently manage the Multiple Heritage Project. More...
	It's Time For Foundation Sharron Hall As a working class mixed-race woman I do not see the mixed-race experience from an academic's view. Instead I live it, feel it, am hurt and comforted by it. More...
	People In Harmony Jill Olumide People in Harmony is a charity that has been active for some 35 years. It was formed as a self help group to offer a refuge to mixed race families and mixed race people from the onslaught of the politics of the time. More...
	Meeting The Educational Needs Of Mixed Heritage Pupils: Challenges For Policy And Practice Prof Leon Tikly The aim of the article is to present evidence concerning the educational needs of mixed heritage pupils in particular those of White/Black Caribbean origin and to outline the challenges for policy and practice in meeting the needs of these learners. More...