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Article

Chronic Codeswitching: Shaping Black/White Multiracial Student Sense of Belonging

by
Nicholas Lamar Wright
1,*,
Susan D. Longerbeam
2 and
Meera Alagaraja
3
1
Human Development Institute, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
2
Department of Counseling & Human Development, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
3
Department of Educational Leadership, Evaluation, & Organizational Development, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Genealogy 2022, 6(3), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy6030075
Submission received: 30 January 2022 / Revised: 1 September 2022 / Accepted: 4 September 2022 / Published: 8 September 2022

Abstract

Multiracial students grapple with experiences around mixedness which can hinder their sense of belonging among different social groups. Constantly feeling unaccepted and receiving the comment “You are too Black” or “You are too White” capture some of the common microaggressions faced by Black/White multiracial students. Using a phenomenological design, this study examines the ways in which Black/White multiracial students develop their sense of belonging at a predominantly White institution (PWI). While codeswitching has the ability to impact the sense of belonging in racial and ethnic minority groups, our study findings suggest that Black/White multiracial students tend to rely on chronic codeswitching as ways of seeking acceptance, balancing “otherness” and carefully minimizing exclusion when interacting with members of different social groups. Chronic codeswitching is particularly relevant as an everyday strategy in how Black/White multiracial students foster their sense of belonging and a sense of community. Research and practice implications are included.
Keywords: chronic codeswitching; multiracial; biracial; sense of belonging chronic codeswitching; multiracial; biracial; sense of belonging

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MDPI and ACS Style

Wright, N.L.; Longerbeam, S.D.; Alagaraja, M. Chronic Codeswitching: Shaping Black/White Multiracial Student Sense of Belonging. Genealogy 2022, 6, 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy6030075

AMA Style

Wright NL, Longerbeam SD, Alagaraja M. Chronic Codeswitching: Shaping Black/White Multiracial Student Sense of Belonging. Genealogy. 2022; 6(3):75. https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy6030075

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wright, Nicholas Lamar, Susan D. Longerbeam, and Meera Alagaraja. 2022. "Chronic Codeswitching: Shaping Black/White Multiracial Student Sense of Belonging" Genealogy 6, no. 3: 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy6030075

APA Style

Wright, N. L., Longerbeam, S. D., & Alagaraja, M. (2022). Chronic Codeswitching: Shaping Black/White Multiracial Student Sense of Belonging. Genealogy, 6(3), 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy6030075

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