Multiethnic Families: Development, Identity, and Wellbeing

The increasing diversity of national and regional populations (i.e., multiculturalism, cultural pluralism) has received considerable attention by demographers and social scientists. However, a parallel, but less explored issue is the acknowledgement of the growing proportion of individuals and families of multiple ethnic and racial heritages. The multiethnic orientation to understanding the family unit has been neglected in scholarly work. To address this gap, the University of Hawai‘i’s Center on the Family announces this inaugural research conference on multiethnic families.

The purpose of this conference is to promote and advance research and scholarship on the topic of multiethnic families. Relevant topics include the development of theory and conceptual models, family formation and family life-cycles, identity development, multiethnic socialization, resilience, risk and protective factors, developmental outcomes, and research methods.

The event will be a working conference designed to be intimate, interactive, and interdisciplinary. Attendance will be limited and those presenters who are selected to attend are expected to commit themselves to full attendance for all three days. In addition to plenary sessions the program will include a select group of 12 paper sessions/interactive workshops. The working conference is designed to ensure that all participants engage in every presentation and the discussions that follow. Group discussions will be taped and transcribed for possible inclusion in a conference publication.

Plenary speakers:

• Maria Root, PhD., University of Washington
• Sharon M. Lee, PhD., Portland State University
• Jonathan Okamura, PhD., University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa
• Hamilton I. McCubbin, PhD., University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa
• Emmy Werner, PhD., University of California at Davis