Negotiating Identity: Multiracial Students in Mandarin-English Bilingual Classrooms

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 7:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Narrating Language Resistance and Agency

Abstract

This paper draws from a larger qualitative study on how Alberta’s Mandarin bilingual programs address anti-Asian racism and racial stereotypes. Focusing on three participants of mixed white and Asian (WAsian) heritage, it explores how Mandarin language education shaped their identity development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted over Zoom and analyzed through Critical Race Theory in education, Critical Multiracial Theory, and Asian Critical Theory. Findings suggest that integrating Chinese language and culture supported participants in navigating their mixed identities and connecting with their Asian roots. While they struggled with balancing the physical and cultural traits that set them apart from fully Asian or white peers during adolescence, they eventually embraced their WAsian identity and developed a strong sense of self and pride.

Author

• Jasmine Pham, University of Toronto - OISE