Psychosocial aspects of 'mixedness' in Scandinavia: intermarriages and children of mixed parentage

The increasing number of interethnic married couples and their children in Scandinavia, challenges the stereotypes about us and others. However, these are relatively unresearched, invisible social categories against the backdrop of societal hegemonic homogeneity.
This paper covers some psychosocial aspects of native Danes and Asian including members of the South Asian diaspora and children of mixed parentage, based on an ongoing empirical project in Denmark. They face both possibilities and difficulties in relation to their self understandings, family and network in interplay with the broad society, characterised by ambivalence and exclusion of ethnic diversity.
The theoretical framework combines transnationalism, narrative approach and life-course understandings. The project is conducted through statistical exploration and in-depth interviews.
Discussing the concept of mixed race/ethnicity, some results regarding the complex negotiation processes of identity through both ‘celebratory’ and ‘critique’ perspectives to ‘mixedness’, are presented along with implications for psychosocial support– and intervention services.