Obama and the Biracial Factor: The Battle for a New American Majority

Since 2008 there has been a flowering of books, films, and articles about the role of race in the election of the first person of color to the White House. Surprisingly, none of these works has delved into the multifaceted meanings of Barack Obama’s biracial background. The first book to explore the role of Obama’s mixed-race identity in his path to the presidency, Obama and the Biracial Factor also offers a broad but penetrating view of the importance of race and multiraciality in the ongoing development of American politics at home and abroad.

In a series of timely essays, an esteemed group of contributors brings biracial identity to the forefront of our understanding of the Obama administration’s policies on race. In laying out new frameworks for thinking about multiraciality in a globalized context, these innovative essays challenge us to contemplate the crucial differences between striving for a “postracist” rather than a “postracial” society.Drawing from a wide array of disciplines—from political science and public policy to sociology and ethnic studies—Obama and the Biracial Factor provides novel insights into issues such as equity, social justice, and political reform.