Americans are under the spell of a distorted and polarizing story about their country’s future—the majority-minority narrative—which contends that inevitable demographic changes will create a society with a majority made up of minorities for the first time in the US’s history.
The Great Demographic Illusion reveals that this narrative obscures a more transformative development: The rising numbers of young Americans from ethno-racially mixed families, consisting of one white and one nonwhite parent.
Examining the unprecedented significance of mixed parentage in the 21st century US, Richard Alba looks at how young Americans with this background will play pivotal roles in the country’s demographic future.
Assembling a vast body of evidence, Alba explores where individuals of mixed parentage fit in American society.
Most participate in and reshape the mainstream, as seen in their high levels of integration into social milieus that were previously white dominated. Yet, racism is evident in the very different experiences of individuals with black-white heritage.