White adjacency

White adjacency is the theory that some groups of non-White people are aligned with White people, and that this adjacency gives them special privileges that are denied to people who aren't white adjacent.

Non-white people may be considered white adjacent by choice, or by cultural factors that have stereotyped them as white adjacent, such as the model minority stereotype. White adjacency is most often sought by non-Black minorities who want to distance themselves from Black people. Mixed-race black people may, however, seek white adjacency.

Asian Americans, and in particular, Asian women, are often viewed as the most white adjacent minorities.

United States

In the United States, critical race theorists increasingly view East Asians as white adjacent.

Within white spaces, diversity is typically represented by Asian women, or images of Asian culture. Images of White men and Asian woman are so common that they have come to symbolize White American manhood, and the extremely high rate of interracial marriage has led some to suggest that Asian Americans are becoming White.

However, according the Brookings Institution, 63% of Asian American respondents identify as people of color, and nearly 80% say that they are not proximal to whiteness, suggesting that Asian Americans, as a whole, do not see themselves as white adjacent.

Diversity within white spaces is rarely represented by Black people, which some critical race theorists view as driving a wedge between minority communities by incentivizing Asians to retain their special status while reinforcing stereotypes. However, some Black people may present themselves as white adjacent, presumably to enjoy the benefits of whiteness. Such people are typically light-skinned enough to pass as White or anything but Black.

See also

• Critical race theory – Intellectual movement and framework
• Passing (racial identity) – When a person classified as one race is accepted as another