A Performative Face Theory Analysis of Multiracial Adults’ Responses to the Question “ What are You?”

Multiracial individuals who appear “racially ambiguous” are often questioned by acquaintances and strangers about their racial identities. In response, they engage in facework to reveal, conceal, explain, or justify their identities in ways that also preserve their positive and negative face needs. This study explores 149 Multiracial adults from the United States’ experiences answering the question “what are you?” Guided by Performative Face Theory, results reveal several historical conditions of race, contextual factors of the “what are you?” interaction, and facework strategies that sediment and subvert taken-for-granted racial logics. These findings have implications for our understanding of how individual performances constitute and (re)shape systems of race.