Critical Analysis: American Pluralism & the Law (Anthropology Essay)

This essay critically analyzes the concept of American pluralism, focusing on its diverse societal makeup and legal implications. The student examines Susan Saulny's article, 'Black? White? Asian? More Young Americans Choose All of the Above,' to explore how the US presents itself as a pluralistic society and the evolving definitions of racial identity, particularly among mixed-race populations. The essay delves into the historical context, the increasing prevalence of multiracial individuals, and the changing perspectives of young Americans regarding race and identity. It also addresses the concerns surrounding race discrimination, the importance of acknowledging race, and the potential impact of a mixed-race population on social inequalities. The analysis highlights the dynamic nature of racial identity and the challenges and opportunities that arise in a pluralistic society.

Running head: AMERICAN PLURALISM & THE LAW ANTHROPOLOGY
AMERICAN PLURALISM & THE LAW ANTHROPOLOGY
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1AMERICAN PLURALISM & THE LAW ANTHROPOLOGY
A pluralistic society is a society consisting of diversity. America is considered to be the
pluralistic society where the motto is e plusibus unum, which is when translated from Latin to
English mean ‘out of many, one’ (Fuentes, Provost & Walker, 2013). The United States is a state
that is built on several groups, interests and people. In this essay, the prime aim is to critically
analyse an article based on the pluralistic nature of America.
The article, Black? White? Asian? More Young Americans Choose All of the Above by
Susan Saulny is on the way America presents itself as the pluralistic society. American tend to
think of themselves as a country with singular racial terms. Using the example of President
Obama, who have answered the race question in the year 2010 census, the article shows the way
America has tried being the singular race country. Having parents of both the race, white and
black, is possible in this modern era. The country possesses people belonging from different
backgrounds. However, when the competition is discussed the options are highly limited. The
article aims to discuss that a significant proportion of the country’s population consists of mixed-
race. The first white settlers had children with the Native Americans. The change that has
become prominent is the way mixed-race Americans are defined and counted.
The article has provided a conversation that involves one person asking the other
person’s origin. A person confirms if the other person was mulatto, a combination of both black
and white. The number of people, under the term ‘mulatto’ is only increasing. It is not
uncommon to find one multiracial or biracial person among five people in the United States.
Looking at the pattern of the one in seven new marriage is between spouses of different races or
ethnicities. Multiracial and multiethnic Americans are one of the fastest growing demographic
groups in America (Saulny, 2011).

2AMERICAN PLURALISM & THE LAW ANTHROPOLOGY
People in the contemporary era, mostly young adults, are moving beyond the colour line.
The colour lines are on the verge of disappearance since the sense of identity has a refined
definition. The reason for rejecting the colour lines could be the increase in a mixed culture that
the United States has always endorsed.
However, it is not always acknowledged. There are three concerns that the article has
raised, race discrimination, race acknowledgement and the importance of race acknowledgement.
According to one of MS. Wood in the article, acknowledging race is essential. People need to be
acknowledged as per their identity. People are provided with rights that let them choose the
things that they would want to acknowledge. A multiracial population can be beneficial for the
future including free of bigotry, prejudice and other social inequalities. Also, according to the
pessimists, it will only lead to more stratification.
While some feel acknowledgement is important, others feel the need to not making it and
deal. It is a phenomenon that needs to be eliminated and not acknowledged. Therefore few
people choose to talk or asking the other person about the same. The population of mixed-
population are not only found in the college campus but also outside the academic field such as
politics, sports and business. Therefore, there is very less and no concern regarding the social
phenomenon being an issue. People belonging to the missed culture have even stopped
identifying themselves with their race anymore.
The article has attempted to understand the concern of the people having mixed race,
having parents having a different race or ethnic. People with the multiracial and biracial
background are often faced with critical situations. Specifically in America, when there is a
major population of mixed-race population, it is evident to have social issues that are associated
with race. The United States needs the urge to acknowledge the mixed-races as well as making it

3AMERICAN PLURALISM & THE LAW ANTHROPOLOGY
a disappearing phenomenon. Through the conversation, the article has represented various
perspectives of the people with mixed racial background regarding their racial identity.
Similar to the article’s headline, Black? White? Asian? More Young Americans Choose
All of the Above, the message of the article could not be more specific. Today young population
of America is choosing their partner irrespective of their race. This is no more a concern for the
young adults to notice if a person is black, white or Asian. Today, young Americans are making
friends with people from every race and the population of multiracial people is only on expected
to increase in the near future.

4AMERICAN PLURALISM & THE LAW ANTHROPOLOGY
References:
Fuentes, C. I., Provost, R., & Walker, S. G. (2013). E pluribus unum–bhinneka tunggal ika?
Universal human rights and the fragmentation of international law. In Dialogues on
Human Rights and Legal Pluralism (pp. 37-68). Springer, Dordrecht.
Saulny, S. (2011, January 30). Black? White? Asian? More Young Americans Choose All of the
Above. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/us/30mixed.html