Race, Color, and Wealth Accumulation – Conceptualizing the Racial Identification Process for New Immigrants in the U.S.

• In Event: 20862 - Section on International Migration Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 13: Migration, Race, and Identity

Abstract

With growing immigration from around the world, social scientists have observed a shift in U.S. racial identification dynamics, featuring the increasing significance of skin color as a phenotypical trait over rigidly defined genotypical categories. When conceptualizing immigrants’ skin color implications, however, prior research remains confined to the country’s bi-racial tradition. This study introduces an immigrant-specific conceptual framework that draws on a two-step cognitive process to explain how U.S. institutions evaluate immigrants’ ethno-racial identity. In the first step – genotypical categorization, immigrants are quickly assigned to one of the established ethno-racial categories ranked by proximity to Whiteness. In the second step – phenotypical differentiation, skin tone is further assessed within each category, operating conditionally based on its underlying motivation. Using data from the New Immigrant Survey, we empirically test this framework in the context of immigrant wealth accumulation. The findings reveal that, consistent with genotypical categorization, White and Black immigrants experience the most and least wealth growth upon obtaining U.S. permanent residency. Moreover, skin tone effects occur only among White immigrants, suggesting that phenotypical differentiation functions as a mechanism of Whiteness expansion. These findings help enhance our understanding of immigrant assimilation and offer critical insights into the ongoing evolution of U.S. racial dynamics.

Author

• Chunhui Ren, Lingnan University