Belonging Tests and Felt Belonging: Black Mixed-Race Students at Differing Institutional Contexts

Sociological literature emphasizes the significance of studying themes of belonging across racial groups and contexts; yet scholarship rarely distinguishes between sense of racial belonging and peer-validated belonging. Accordingly, little is known about the tangible “tests” of racialized belonging administered by peers. The author conceptualizes belonging tests as assessments of perceived fit into communities through markers such as presentation, language, or cultural tastes and practices. Using this concept, the author analyzes 50 interviews with Black mixed-race students, 25 each from a predominantly White institution (PWI) and a historically Black college or university (HBCU). The author highlights significant yet understudied belonging tests on hair, fashion and beautification, “N-word” usage, code-switching, and artistic cultural capital. Most HBCU Black-mixed students describe a strong sense of belonging with the Black community but report more belonging tests from their peers than do the PWI students. The majority of the PWI Black-mixed students do not cite a strong sense of belonging with a single racial community while also reporting fewer peer-induced belonging tests. Conceptually, “belonging tests” illuminate how symbolic boundaries are drawn by Black peers at both institutions and, secondarily, by White peers at the PWI. These findings advance understandings of more complex racial belonging negotiations by comparing subjective feelings with experiences of peer evaluation.