Interracial families: difference within difference

This article describes an interview-based case-study of twenty interracial families of mixed Anglo-Australian and Indo-Asian backgrounds. The study draws theoretical models from post-colonial, feminist and critical race theory, raising the issue of how visible racial difference might influence how families define themselves and their everyday experiences in white-dominated societies. The interviews focused on families' narrative accounts of community and family reactions to their marriage, how they negotiate divergent cultural beliefs and practices, and their views on childrearing and their children's futures. Four key themes emerged from these accounts: the significance of place and locality in how families identify themselves; the interaction of social class and ethnic identity; the blending of cultural practices and beliefs within families; and the reconstruction of gendered roles and practices. The authors conclude that interracial families are key sites where new forms of cultural, social class and gender identity are being reconstructed.