Race, Belonging, and Coalition: Examining Afro-Caribbean Intergroup Attitudes

• In Event: Intersectional Perspectives on Race

Abstract

Existing studies of immigrant political incorporation highlight the role that racial and ethnic identity play in the political attitudes and behavior of black immigrants. In particular, such studies find that black immigrants share a diasporic consciousness with African Americans that shape opportunities for political coalitions. However, such studies do not examine black immigrant attitudes towards coalitions with Asian Americans and Latinx Americans. Through a qualitative assessment of in-depth interviews with Afro-Caribbean immigrants in New York and Los Angeles, the paper examines the factors that impact attitudes towards coalitions with African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinx Americans. I argue that race, culture, and belonging shape participant conceptions of the U.S. racial order and structure perceived opportunities and obstacles for political coalitions. Such findings serve to shed light on the political and social attitudes of a growing immigrant community. It underscores the diversity of black public opinion regarding the structure of racial hierarchy in the U.S. It also lifts up how race, ethnicity, and perceived foreignness interact to shape attitudes toward inter-ethnic coalitions in different political contexts.

Author

• Cory Charles Gooding, University of San Diego