South Asian Americans and anti-Black racism: critically reflexive racialization as an anti-racist vernacular discourse

Abstract

In this study, I propose the concept of critically reflexive racialization as a vernacular discourse through which nondominant groups engage critical reflexivity in exploring and renegotiating their racialized identities in relation to other marginalized groups in the struggle against White supremacy. This study is based on my analysis of the discourses of South Asian Americans within the online news magazine American Kahani over the course of a year following the murder of George Floyd. I explore how they (re-)negotiate their racialized identities vis-à-vis Black Americans and in relation to anti-Black racism, critically reflecting on historical, discursive, and structural contexts around Whiteness, caste, and colorism. This study provides a lens into (anti-)racism among the South Asian American community, demonstrating a need for continued research into conversations around race within it and other communities of color.