Transcending Blackness: From the New Millennium Mulatta to the Exceptional Multiracial

by Ralina L. Joseph

Representations of multiracial Americans, especially those with one black and one white parent, appear everywhere in contemporary culture, from reality shows to presidential politics. Some depict multiracial individuals as mired in painful confusion; others equate them with progress, as the embodiment of a postracial utopia. In Transcending Blackness, Ralina L. Joseph critiques both depictions as being rooted in—and still defined by—the racist notion that blackness is a deficit that must be overcome.Analyzing emblematic representations of multiracial figures in popular culture—Jennifer Beals's character in the The L Word; the protagonist in Danny Senza's novel Caucasia; the title character in the independent film Mixing Nia; and contestants in a controversial episode of the reality show America's Next Top Model, who had to "switch ethnicities" for a photo shoot—Joseph identifies the persistence of two widespread stereotypes about mixed-race African Americans, those of "new millennium mulattas" and "exceptional multiracials." The former inscribes multiracial African Americans as tragic figures whose blackness predestines them for misfortune; the latter rewards mixed-race African Americans for successfully erasing their blackness. Addressing questions of authenticity, sexuality, and privilege, Transcending Blackness refutes the idea that race no longer matters in American society.

Ralina L. Joseph is Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Washington.

"Transcending Blackness is unique in the field of multiracial studies and a truly groundbreaking and brilliant book. It is also a pleasure to read. Ralina L. Joseph is a rigorous interdisciplinarian, well versed in a number of fields, and she meticulously analyzes and cites these literatures throughout this important work."—Imani Perry, author of More Beautiful and More Terrible: The Embrace and Transcendence of Racial Inequality in the United States

"Transcending Blackness will make a great contribution to the literature on race, gender, and popular culture. Through close readings of diverse works in genres such as television, literature, film, and news media, Ralina L. Joseph explores how the ways that multiracial African Americans imagine themselves and are imagined by others have evolved, highlighting the significance of postracial and postfeminist discourses in this transformation."—E. Patrick Johnson, author of Appropriating Blackness: Performance and the Politics of Authenticity

248 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Kori · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incisive, direct, and essential contribution to critical mixed-race studies.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and three-quarters.
Joseph's main thesis, that representations of multiracial women in popular culture have been limited to the "tragic mulatta" and the "multiracial superhero", and therefore diminish or negate blackness, is valid and convincingly argued. Joseph's analysis spans film, television, media, politics, history, cultural studies, and literature. She articulately explores each realm, though the thesis is at times over-aggressively pursued through some media, especially those with fictional content (e.g., The L Word, Mixing Nia). In these, some of the tragedy of the "tragic mulatta" can likely be attributed to factors like alternative character limitations, scripting, sub-par dialog or writing, and can be better understood though alternative lenses. Nonetheless, Joseph's main thesis remains pertinent. Unfortunately, heightened racial tensions, and the advent of the Black Lives Matter movement in the 2015-and-forward United States, only serve to reify Joseph's argument: the idealized post-racial United States is a fallacy. This text is as relevant as ever.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discovering people organizing around mixed race identity when she went to college, Joseph threw herself into it, happy to have people who understood her. As her academic career continued, however, she began to notice how multiracial organizations, aims, and identities were being used to denigrate blackness. She posits two types of multiracial characters for society's narrative: the new millennium tragic mulatta and the transcendental multiracial, then breaks it down for us personally and through looking at four popular culture texts. She explicity illustrates how race and gender are tied into this (as with everything) and offers an incise critique of post-feminism and post-race positions.

Challenging, insightful, academic with heart.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immensely engaging and informative. I disagree with some of her analyses of Bette Porter from The L-Word but was inspired to do more of my own research and writing on this character construction.

[Rema · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly the best book I've read on multiracial black feminine idenitity to date!

[Mills College Library]

305.805 J835 2013