Multiracial Exhaustion and Racial Agency Under the Monoracial Imperative: Fighting, Flipping and Capitulation

Ian Waller; Zirui Zhou; Braden Artzer; Allyson Zuleta; Karissa Low

doi:10.29333/ejecs/2299

Authors

Ian Anthony University of California, Santa Barbara https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2223-8741
Zirui Zhou https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5859-1212
Braden Artzer https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3230-9136
Allyson Zuleta https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7383-602X
Karissa Low University of Chicago https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6799-7034

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/2299

Keywords:

multiracial, monoracial imperative, multiracial exhaustion, mental health, racial literacy, race, multiracial identity, racial agency

Abstract

This article explores how multiracial individuals navigate the “monoracial imperative,” a societal pressure to adopt a singular racial identity, and the emotional trauma it creates. Drawing on 43 semi-structured interviews, the study introduces the concept of “multiracial exhaustion,” a form of psychosocial distress that arises from recurrent questioning encapsulated by the persistent “What are you?” question. Contrary to stereotypes of confusion, participants demonstrate strategic racial agency through three distinct coping mechanisms: “fighting” (resisting monoracial demands), “flipping” (redirecting the question to inquirers), and “monoracial capitulation” (adopting singular racial categorization for social convenience due to the monoracial imperative). These strategies reveal how multiracial individuals are neither naïve nor complicit actors within systems of white supremacy. Instead, they actively confront complex racial dynamics shaped by both hierarchical pressures from whites and protective gatekeeping by communities of color. The findings challenge dominant racial frameworks that marginalize multiracial realities and call for more nuanced scholarly attention to multiracial mental health, agency, and racialized identity management in the context of racial rules in the United States. This study ultimately advocates for a paradigm shift that recognizes multiracial identity as a legitimate and complex site of racial agency, advocating for the acknowledgment of multi-racial literacy beyond the constraints of monoracial paradigms.

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Author Biographies

Ian Anthony, University of California, Santa Barbara

Ian Anthony is a sociologist specializing in race, gender, and spiritualities. He is currently completing his Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His dissertation examines how multiracial individuals respond to societal pressures to conform to single racial categories. In addition to his research on multiracial identity, Anthony investigates the spiritual community’s relationship to religion and science. Some of that work recently appeared in The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society. He is also the founder of the MIRROR research group, supporting undergraduates in doing high-level sociological scholarship, for which this study is a product.

Zirui Zhou

Zirui Zhou is a master's student at the University of Chicago studying race, ethnicity, and immigration. He graduated with high honors and distinction in his major from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), in 2024, with majors in Sociology and Communication. His research focuses on how ethnicity, race, class, and migration histories shape identity construction. His current project examines how Asian immigrants navigate ethnic and panethnic identities, using qualitative methods to explore the role of education, class, social interactions, and migration experiences in shaping identity.

Braden Artzer

Braden Artzer holds a degree in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is currently pursuing a degree in Conservation Biology and Ecology at Arizona State University. His past research focused on racial identity and multiracial mental health. In addition to academic research, Braden manages community restoration projects and leads educational outings for a nonprofit, working to expand access to biology, ecology, and conservation for diverse audiences.

Allyson Zuleta

Allyson Zuleta holds a degree in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. While at UCSB, she worked closely with families and students, contributing to research aimed at translating findings into policy and practice for educational reform through the Center for Publicly Engaged Scholars. Currently, Allyson serves as a Family Advocate at the Stanislaus County Office of Education, where she helps families access essential community resources. She is also pursuing graduate studies focused on college and career aspirations for adolescents in rural areas.

Karissa Low, University of Chicago

Karissa Low is a graduate student at the University of Chicago, pursuing her master’s in clinical social work. She is projected to graduate in the spring of 2025. She is being trained as a psychotherapist in third-wave behavioral therapies, specifically Contextually Focused Dialectical Behavior Therapy (C-DBT), and specializes in working with chronically distressed individuals. Karissa received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2022.

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