White adjacency

White adjacency is the theory that some groups of non-White people are aligned with White people, and that this adjacency gives them special privileges that are denied to people who aren't white adjacent.^[1]

Non-white people may be considered white adjacent by choice, or by cultural factors that have stereotyped them as white adjacent, such as the model minority stereotype.^[2][1] White adjacency is most often sought by non-Black minorities who want to distance themselves from Black people.^[1] Mixed-race black people may, however, seek white adjacency.^[3]

Asian Americans, and in particular, Asian women, are often viewed as the most white adjacent minorities.^[2]

United States

In the United States, critical race theorists increasingly view East Asians as white adjacent.^[2]

Within white spaces, diversity is typically represented by Asian women, or images of Asian culture.^[2] Images of White men and Asian woman are so common that they have come to symbolize White American manhood,^[4] and the extremely high rate of interracial marriage has led some to suggest that Asian Americans are becoming White.^[5]

However, according the Brookings Institute, 63% of Asian American respondents identify as people of color, and nearly 80% say that they are not proximal to whiteness, suggesting that Asian Americans, as a whole, do not see themselves as white adjacent.^[5]

Diversity within white spaces is rarely represented by Black people, which some critical race theorists view as driving a wedge between minority communities by incentivizing Asians to retain their special status while reinforcing stereotypes.^[2] However, some Black people may present themselves as white adjacent, presumably to enjoy the benefits of whiteness.^[3] Such people are typically light-skinned enough to pass as White or anything but Black.^[3]

See also

• Critical race theory – Intellectual movement and framework
• Passing (racial identity) – When a person classified as one race is accepted as another