Blurring of colour lines? Ethnoracially mixed youth in Spain navigating identity

Figures & data

Graph 1. Percentage of Spanish/foreigner intermarried couples in Spain by nationality*, out of the total number of marriages in Spain and Catalonia, 1997–2017.

Note: Note that mixed couples formed by a Spaniard born in Spain with Spanish nationality and a naturalised foreign-born person with Spanish nationality will not be counted here, as the variable taken into account is ‘nationality’ (equivalent to citizenship), not the country of birth. Source: Authors’ compilation from Vital Statistics (MNP) microdata, Spanish Statistics Office (INE), and Catalan Statistics Institute (Idescat).

Graph 2. Percentage of children born to Spanish/foreigner intermarried couples in Spain by nationality*, out of the total number of births, 1997–2017.

Source: Authors’ compilation from Vital Statistics (MNP) microdata, Spanish Statistics Office (INE).

Table 1. Minority/Majority Phenotype of Interviewees and Frequency of Self-identification vs. Ascribed Identity.

		Self-identification by the respondent
		Native			Mixed			Global			Foreigner			Undefined
		VP*	MP	T	VP	MP	T	VP	MP	T	VP	MP	T	VP	MP	T
Ascribed identity	Native	2	21	23	4	14	18	0	3	3	0	5	5	0	1	1
	Mixed	0	1	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Global	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Foreigner	17	6	23	20	5	25	7	3	10	6	1	7	3	2	5
	Undefined	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	1

*VP: Visible (minority) Phenotype; MP: Majority Phenotype; T: Total.

Note: The Majority Phenotype refers to the typical, most common phenotype of the majority native population in Catalonia, Spain (chiefly light/white skin colour, straight or wavy brown hair, and no visible religious clothing). The assignment of the interviewees’ phenotype was done by self-reported assessment.

Principal characteristics and self-/ascribed identification of the interviewees.

	Name	Sex	Age	Parents’ type of marriage *	Father’s country of birth	Mother’s country of birth	Self-identification **	Ascribed identity **	Phenotype***
1	Daria	Female	13	MSI	Morocco	Spain	Native	Native	MP
2	Alba	Female	19	MSI	Spain	Dominican Republic	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
3	Faiz	Male	33	MSI	Pakistan	Spain	Mixed	Native	MP
4	Michel	Male	16	MSI	Spain	France	Mixed	Native	MP
5	Bia	Female	18	MSI	Mozambique	Spain	Mixed	Native	VP
6	Bineta	Female	14	MSI	Senegal	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
7	Maria	Female	27	MSI	Spain	Colombia	Native	Foreigner	VP
8	Adele	Female	18	MSI	Martinique/France	Spain	Global	Foreigner	VP
9	Ignasi	Male	15	MSI	Spain	Taiwan	Native	Foreigner	VP
10	Leila	Female	18	MSI	Morocco	Spain	Native	Foreigner	VP
11	Paul	Male	14	MSI	Spain	Dominican Republic	Native	Native	VP
12	Ann	Female	23	MSI	Spain	United Kingdom	Mixed	Native	MP
13	Rosario	Female	24	MSI	Spain	Colombia	Mixed	Native	MP
14	Carme	Female	22	MSI	Rwanda	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
15	Vero	Female	30	MSI	Kenya/India	Spain	Native	Foreigner	VP
16	Marga	Female	18	MSI	India	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	MP
17	Ismael	Male	22	MSI	Brazil	Spain	Mixed	Native	MP
18	Tomas	Male	22	MSI	Spain	United Kingdom	Native	Native	MP
19	Rosa	Female	20	MSI	Spain	Dominican Republic	Native	Foreigner	VP
20	Leo	Male	14	MSI	Spain	Italy	Mixed	Native	MP
21	Irina	Female	15	MSI	Spain	Switzerland	Mixed	Native	MP
22	Mariona	Female	15	MSI	Spain	USA	Native	Native	MP
23	Fatou	Female	15	MSI	Senegal	Spain	Native	Foreigner	VP
24	Laia	Female	13	MSI	Morocco	Spain	Native	Native	MP
25	Fadel	Male	23	MSI	Morocco	Spain	Native	Foreigner	VP
26	Karima	Female	20	MSI	Morocco	Spain	Native	Foreigner	VP
27	Olga	Female	18	MSI	Spain	Morocco	Native	Native	MP
28	Pedro	Male	17	MSI	Guinea Bissau	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
29	Iris	Female	22	MSI	Spain	Morocco	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
30	Joan	Male	18	MSI	Morocco	Spain	Native	Foreigner	MP
31	Asira	Female	24	MSI	Tunisia	Spain	Native	Native	MP
32	Azhar	Female	15	MSI	Morocco	Spain	Native	Native	MP
33	Noemi	Female	19	MSI	China	Spain	Native	Native	VP
34	Loli	Female	17	MSI	China	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
35	Hector	Male	17	MSI	Argentina	Spain	Native	Native	MP
36	Max	Male	24	MSI	China	Spain	Undefined	Foreigner	VP
37	Tim	Male	29	MSI	Equatorial Guinea	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
38	Davide	Male	23	MSI	Italy	Spain	Native	Native	MP
39	Martí	Male	17	MSI	Italy	Spain	Native	Native	MP
40	Ahmed	Male	14	MSI	Spain	Morocco	Native	Native	MP
41	Pol	Male	12	MSI	Spain	Equatorial Guinea	Native	Foreigner	VP
42	Sam	Male	15	MSI	Spain	USA	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
43	Lidia	Female	16	MSI	Kosovo	Spain	Foreigner	Native	MP
44	Marta	Female	16	MSI	Morocco	Spain	Native	Native	MP
45	Aida	Female	14	MSI	Senegal	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
46	Luz	Female	22	MSI	Morocco	Spain	Native	Foreigner	MP
47	Ana	Female	27	MSI	Iran	Spain	Undefined	Native	MP
48	Doha	Female	22	MSI	Morocco	Spain	Global	Foreigner	VP
49	Latifa	Female	26	MSI	Egypt	Spain	Undefined	Foreigner	VP
50	Reiko	Female	24	MSI	China	Spain	Mixed	Mixed	VP
51	Lara	Female	21	MSI	Cape Verde	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
52	Sabrina	Female	23	MSI	Kenya	Spain	Native	Foreigner	VP
53	Marina	Female	27	MSI	Italy	Spain	Native	Native	MP
54	Isabel	Female	26	MSI	Netherlands	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	MP
55	Bea	Female	19	MSI	Netherlands	Spain	Native	Native	MP
56	Paula	Female	27	MSI	Spain	Peru	Native	Native	MP
57	Carina	Female	22	MSI	Spain	Dominican Republic	Global	Foreigner	VP
58	Paz	Female	23	MSI	Spain	Mexico	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
59	Berta	Female	28	MSI	Spain	Germany	Native	Foreigner	VP
60	Alicia	Female	16	MSI	Spain	Dominican Republic	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
61	Juana	Female	23	MSI	Mexico	Spain	Native	Native	MP
62	Roshni	Male	32	MSI	Iran	Spain	Native	Native	MP
63	Jim	Male	14	MSI	Spain	Germany	Mixed	Native	MP
64	Julia	Female	23	MSI	United Kingdom	Spain	Native	Native	MP
65	Oscar	Male	17	MSI	Spain	Philippines	Foreigner	Foreigner	VP
66	Kaima	Female	21	MSI	Spain	Morocco	Foreigner	Foreigner	MP
67	Rafael	Male	25	MSI	Syria	Spain	Mixed	Native	MP
68	Alex	Male	20	MSI	Cameroon	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
69	Manuel	Male	20	MSI	Spain	Switzerland	Native	Foreigner	MP
70	Youssef	Male	24	MSI	Syria	Spain	Global	Native	MP
71	Najda	Female	17	MSI	Morocco	Spain	Native	Native	MP
72	Mabel	Female	22	MSI	Mexico	Spain	Global	Foreigner	MP
73	Marcos	Male	20	MSI	Romania	Spain	Native	Foreigner	MP
74	Rita	Female	29	MSI	Spain	Morocco	Global	Foreigner	MP
75	Saida	Female	17	MSI	Spain	Morocco	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
76	Sean	Male	18	MSI	United Kingdom	Spain	Native	Native	MP
77	Marcel	Male	20	MSI	Spain	Guatemala	Global	Foreigner	VP
78	Kemal	Male	25	MSI	Turkey	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	MP
79	Juliana	Female	25	MSI	Netherlands	Spain	Native	Foreigner	MP
80	Adila	Female	24	MSI	Tunisia	Spain	Global	Native	MP
81	Piero	Male	23	MSI	Italy	Spain	Mixed	Native	MP
82	Inés	Female	24	MSI	Spain	Greece	Mixed	Native	MP
83	Ingrid	Female	22	MSI	Brazil	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	MP
84	Lluc	Male	19	MSI	Spain	Algeria	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
85	Susana	Female	23	MSI	Switzerland	Spain	Native	Native	MP
86	Simona	Female	19	MSI	Argentina	Spain	Global	Undefined	MP
87	Samanta	Female	22	MSI	Senegal	Spain	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
88	Montse	Female	26	MSI	Japan	Spain	Mixed	Native	MP
89	Gema	Female	39	MSI	Spain	Guinea	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
90	Gabriela	Female	19	MSI	Spain	United Kingdom	Mixed	Native	MP
91	Roque	Male	29	MSI	Mexico	Spain	Undefined	Undefined	MP
92	Juan	Male	20	MSI	Spain	Ecuador	Native	Mixed	MP
93	Fatima	Female	18	MII	Morocco	Dominican Republic	Mixed	Native	VP
94	Marco	Male	16	MII	Italy	Denmark	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
95	Jenna	Female	21	MII	Tunisia	Mexico	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
96	Erica	Female	18	MII	Brazil	Colombia	Global	Foreigner	VP
97	Anke	Female	32	MII	Germany	Mexico	Global	Foreigner	MP
98	Arlette	Female	24	MII	Belgium	Rwanda	Native	Foreigner	VP
99	Estefania	Female	22	MII	Greece	Colombia	Undefined	Foreigner	MP
100	Tania	Female	23	MII	Puerto Rico	Venezuela	Global	Native	MP
101	Alvar	Male	24	MII	Sweden	Uruguay	Undefined	Foreigner	MP
102	Daniel	Male	21	MII	Brazil	Germany	Mixed	Native	VP
103	Albert	Male	20	MII	Cameroon	France	Global	Foreigner	VP
104	Serena	Female	16	MII	USA	Italy	Native	Foreigner	VP
105	Quim	Male	22	MII	United Kingdom	France	Native	Foreigner	VP
106	Sandra	Female	19	MII	Philippines	Morocco	Native	Foreigner	VP
107	Ben	Male	21	MII	Bolivia	United Kingdom	Native	Foreigner	MP
108	Salomé	Female	19	MII	Colombia	Switzerland	Mixed	Native	VP
109	Norma	Female	24	MII	Argentina	Venezuela	Mixed	Foreigner	MP
110	Guillermo	Male	22	MII	Cameroon	United Kingdom	Undefined	Foreigner	VP
111	Nathan	Male	19	MII	Canada	New Zealand	Mixed	Foreigner	VP
112	Fadila	Female	19	E	Morocco	Morocco	Foreigner	Native	MP
113	Raissa	Female	38	E	Morocco	Morocco	Mixed	Native	MP
114	Fahim	Male	17	E	Pakistan	Pakistan	Foreigner	Foreigner	VP
115	Hussain	Male	17	E	Pakistan	Pakistan	Foreigner	Foreigner	VP
116	Cornelia	Female	23	E	Romania	Romania	Foreigner	Native	MP
117	Nazir	Male	18	E	Morocco	Morocco	Foreigner	Foreigner	VP
118	Chafik	Male	19	E	Morocco	Morocco	Foreigner	Foreigner	VP
119	Irma	Female	17	E	Argentina	Argentina	Foreigner	Native	MP
120	Laura	Female	17	E	Argentina	Argentina	Foreigner	Native	MP
121	Labiba	Female	23	E	Morocco	Morocco	Foreigner	Foreigner	VP
122	Mateo	Male	18	E	Peru	Peru	Native	Foreigner	VP
123	Fada	Female	19	E	Morocco	Morocco	Native	Foreigner	VP
124	Musa	Male	25	E	The Gambia	The Gambia	Global	Foreigner	VP

* MSI: Mixed Spanish-Immigrant marriage; MII: Mixed Immigrant-Immigrant marriage; E: Endogamous Immigrant-Immigrant marriage.

** Native (Catalan/Spanish); Foreigner; Mixed; Global (Cosmopolitan); Undefined.

*** VP: Visible (minority) Phenotype; MP: Majority Phenotype.

Note: The Majority Phenotype refers to the typical, most common phenotype of the majority native population in Catalonia, Spain (chiefly light/white skin colour, straight or wavy brown hair, and no visible religious clothing). The assignment of the interviewees’ phenotype was done by self-reported assessment.