White Enough to Be American?
Race Mixing, Indigenous People, and the Boundaries of State and Nation
Lauren L. Basson
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 09/2012
Pages: 256
Subject: Social Science, Political Science
| University of North Carolina
Print ISBN: 9.78E+12
eBook ISBN: 9781469606439
DESCRIPTION
Drawing on government documents, press coverage, and firsthand accounts, Basson presents four fascinating case studies concerning indigenous people of "mixed" descent. She reveals how the ambiguous status of racially mixed people underscored the problematic nature of policies and practices based on clearly defined racial boundaries. Contributing to timely discussions about race, ethnicity, citizenship, and nationhood, Basson demonstrates how the challenges to the American political and legal systems posed by racial mixture helped lead to a new definition of what it meant to be American--one that relied on institutions of private property and white supremacy.