hyperdescent
English
editEtymology
editPronunciation
edit- Rhymes: -ɛnt
Noun
edithyperdescent (uncountable)
- The practice of classifying a child of mixed race ancestry into the more socially dominant of the parents' races.
- 2002, Joel Perlmann, The New Race Question: How the Census Counts Multiracial Individuals:
- In contrast, American Indians have generally been identified by hyperdescent, a principle that stipulates some minimum amount of ancestry as a necessary condition for qualification.