ABSTRACT
Media scholars note that the media/cultural representation of mixed-race people has shifted “from pathologization to celebration” and “from tragic to heroic”. This chapter addresses the causes of this shift and its significance for larger social transformation by critically examining the politics of mixed-race representation in the American media landscape. It focuses on scholarly discussion in the United States, but it also encompasses transnational scholarship by introducing research on mixed-race representation in East Asia that takes a different historical trajectory from the West. One of the most contentious debates on mixed raciality in the contemporary era regards the discourse of a post-racial society. Barack Obama’s election as the first black biracial president significantly changed the cultural and political landscape in the US, triggering among some the idea that race and racism is no longer an issue in the United States. This idea took root in the popular discourse of a post-racial and colorblind society.
