Who counts as multiracial?

Who counts as multiracial? The answer to this question – while never straightforward in the past – is becoming ever more complicated and contested. Given the very significant growth of people with racially mixed ancestries, there has been surprisingly little written about who “counts” as multiracial per se. There is no one definitive measure or definition of multiracial status across multi-ethnic societies that share many discourses of race, such as the USA and the UK. This question is important because it concerns whether people are able to achieve personal validations of how they wish to be identified, and because definitions of who counts as multiracial can fundamentally influence a variety of race-based and equality policies. This article synthesizes a wide range of literature that addresses how we may conceptualize, measure, and recognize multiracial people.