More American Than Whom? Race, Status, and National Identity

Dr. Victoria S. Asbury-Kimmel, New York University

Thursday, March 26, 2026 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM EDT
Johnson Center, Meeting Room F

Who are "we the people"? Political elites are locked in conflict over the answer—from J.D. Vance's vision of Americanness rooted in heritage and bloodline to Pete Buttigieg's civic creed where no group is more or less American than another. Yet existing research largely assumes that Americans share a baseline understanding of national belonging. I show that such consensus does not exist—and that the divide is not simply partisan. Drawing on original survey data from the Truly American Project 2, which includes 3,000 Black, Latino, and Asian respondents, I demonstrate that racial groups use systematically different criteria to define what makes someone "truly American." These priorities correspond to group demographics and perceived strengths, and they shape how groups position themselves—and others—within the national hierarchy. I develop a theory of Motivated National Identity to explain these patterns, arguing that definitions of Americanness are strategic, status-relevant claims rather than neutral descriptions. The findings have direct implications for multiracial democracy: there is no shared definition of belonging to appeal to, groups may be competing for position rather than dismantling hierarchy, and the symbolic infrastructure of national identity may generate political conflict. 

Hosted by The Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

Sponsored by The Department of Sociology and Anthropology, The College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Next Systems Studies.