CMIO : ‘cannot make it oreadi’ an investigation into the construction of mixed identities in inter-ethnic marriages.

• Main Author: Quek, Germaine.
• Other Authors: Zhou Wubiao
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/50696
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper examined qualitatively how individuals in inter-ethnic marriages negotiate their ethic identity within the context of a state discourse of multiculturalism that views families and communities as racially homogeneous and distinct. Interviews were conducted involving of a sample of ten individuals in inter-ethnic marriages. This investigation found that ethnicity remained a significant part of the identity of these individuals. Using cultural resources, they constructed a mixed identity that was both situational and an amalgamation of theirs and their partner’s ethnicities. Using this mixed identity, they found ways to resist the rigid ethnic boundaries instituted by the state. By looking at the experiences of individuals in inter-ethnic marriages, this paper elucidated ethnic relations in Singapore and argued for a more inclusive discourse of multiculturalism.