Biracial Discrimination Recounted: A Deep Dive into The Meaning of Mariah Carey

Erischa Rahayu Putri; Galant Nanta Adhitya; Yohanes Angie Kristiawan

doi:10.22146/rubikon.v11i1.95660

Biracial Discrimination Recounted: A Deep Dive into The Meaning of Mariah Carey

https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v11i1.95660

Erischa Rahayu Putri⁽¹⁾, Galant Nanta Adhitya⁽²⁾, Yohanes Angie Kristiawan^(3*)

(1) Universitas Respati Yogyakarta
(2) Universitas Respati Yogyakarta
(3) Universitas Respati Yogyakarta
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract

Mariah Carey is an American singer and songwriter; whose mother is white, but her father is black. In 2020, she released The Meaning of Mariah Carey retracks Carey’s life as a biracial woman. This article explains how she is discriminated and reacts to the discrimination. The theories employed are Post-National American Studies; Blank, Dabady, and Citro’s types of discrimination; and Aguirre and Turner’s reaction to discrimination. When she was a kid, teenager, and young adult, the discrimination she endures is more intentional and explicit. The discrimination becomes subtler and more indirect, as she has cemented her status as a musical icon. The fact that she is still discriminated even after she has reached the peak of her superstardom suggests that biracial discrimination can happen to any mixed-race person, regardless of their socioeconomic class. Discrimination comes from both sides of the race. The article signifies how the discrimination faced by mixed-raced people are both similar, but also different from the experiences of other minorities.

Keywords

autobiography; mulatto; popular culture; popular literature

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v11i1.95660