Multiracialism

Multiracialism is a conceptual framework for theorizing and interpreting identity formation in global multiracial populations. Multiracialism explores the tendency for multiracial individuals to identify with a third category of 'mixed' instead of being a fully accepted member of multiple, or any, racial group(s). As an analytical tool, multiracialism emphasizes that societies are increasingly composed of multiracial individuals, warranting a broader recognition of those who do not fit into a society's clear-cut notions of race. Additionally, multiracialism also focuses on what identity formation means in the context of oppressive histories and cultural erasure.

Multiracial identities have manifested across cultural identities, historical moments, and social norms. What it means to be multiracial changes depending on the society in question. As a result, multiracialism is often used to critique the continuation of race as a means of social categorization, especially given that race is a social and political construct that has served systems of oppression and systematically overlooked large populations that fall between its limited categorizations.