Chameleon identities: Biracial grandchildren and their socialization

Grandparents are often regarded as the cultural "gatekeepers" between the generations within a family. How do they help to promote and preserve family culture in biracial families? This study is a qualitative and exploratory study on how Chinese grandparents residing in the San Francisco Bay Area racially and ethnically socialize their Chinese-White biracial grandchildren. The focus is not solely on grandparents, but also considers how their biracial grandchildren respond to their grandparents' socialization efforts and to their surrounding environment. In addition, the ecological context of living in the Bay Area will be considered for its effects on the socialization process. The study's findings show the various ways in which grandparents and ecological contexts influence the way that they socialize their grandchildren as well as how their grandchildren respond. It is a pioneer study in the field that has too often focused only on the roles that parents play in the socialization process. The study's findings could be used to help inform family service agencies and health professionals to better understand and work with biracial families.