Mixed-up Kids?: Race, Identity and Social Order

By Tina G. Patel

With transracial adoptees, mixed-parentage children, children of settled immigrants families, etc., increasingly, children are growing up in various social environments and mixed-race families. Yet social services for them are based on outdated and problematic ideas about 'essential' racial identities, as well as the supposed need for children to commit fully to an identity in order to minimize problems and experiences of discrimination. This book asks why the thought of a single identity tends to dominate, what the consequences are for those who actively choose not to identify themselves as having one singular racial identity, and how policy and practice can be improved. Drawing upon the reflective narratives of individuals in the UK who were transracially adopted as children, as well as drawing upon the relevant literature and research, this book will challenge and assist anyone in social work, adoption, foster care, education, youth work, and youth justice. The book calls for the recognition of these groups of children, and offers suggestions on how to best serve their needs and facilitate their access to racial identity rights.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1905541384
• ISBN13: 9781905541386
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Russell House Publishing
• Length: 159 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.3" x 6.0"