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DESTABILISING BELONGING: RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF MULTIRACIAL SUBJECTIVITY IN GINNY & GEORGIA

CALL · Vol. 8 No. 1 (2026) · pp. 95–111

DOI
10.15575/call.v8i1.55395
ISSN
2723-2417
Published
2026-05-26
Publisher
Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati
Language
eng
License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

Abstract

The growing visibility of multiracial characters in contemporary popular media is frequently interpreted as evidence of progressive racial inclusion. Yet increased representation does not necessarily guarantee stable identity formation within narrative structures. This study examines how racial discrimination operates as a constitutive force shaping multiracial subjectivity in the Netflix series Ginny & Georgia (2021). It employs qualitative textual analysis of eight selected scenes from Season One—chosen for their narrative significance in depicting racialised interaction, identity negotiation, and emotional responses to racial ambiguity—to examine how institutional, interpersonal, and internalised forms of racism are narratively constructed. Integrating Jones's multilevel model of racism, Du Bois's concept of double consciousness, and Turner's theory of liminality, the findings indicate that institutional positioning, interpersonal microaggressions, and internalised ambiguity collectively generate what this article conceptualises as destabilised belonging—a condition in which multiracial identity remains persistently unsettled, marked by insecurity, embodied self-harm, and relational isolation. Rather than presenting multiracial identity as harmonious hybridity, the series constructs it as an ongoing negotiation marked by fragmentation and conditional inclusion. By foregrounding the cumulative effects of subtle discrimination, the narrative challenges celebratory discourses of diversity and exposes the persistence of racial hierarchy within ostensibly inclusive environments. This study contributes to cultural and media scholarship by shifting analytical attention from representation alone to the structural and psychological consequences of discrimination in popular media narratives. It argues that multiracial visibility in streaming culture may coexist with continued instability in belonging, revealing the limits of multicultural inclusion in contemporary racial frameworks.

Keywords

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21 authors · 38 co-authorship links

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Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Gifa Rokhimah AnggreyaniAffiliation unknown1
Edi KomarudinAffiliation unknown1
Eka Jayanti NurhasanahAffiliation unknown1
Sape'i Sape'iAffiliation unknown1
Ujang SuyatmanAffiliation unknown1
Asya Durrotun NafisahAffiliation unknown1
TONENG LISTIANIAffiliation unknown1
Firman Maulana KholisAffiliation unknown1
Wahyuni KhotimahAffiliation unknown1
Bunyamin Faisal SyarifudinAffiliation unknown1
Tenny SudjatnikaAffiliation unknown1
Rima SarahAffiliation unknown1
Hasbi AssiddiqiAffiliation unknown1
Vatina SindaAffiliation unknown1
Dian NurrachmanAffiliation unknown1
Tharissa Adila PutriAffiliation unknown1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/jcall/oai, first harvested 7 Nov 2026, last seen 8 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc)
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en-US">DESTABILISING BELONGING: RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF MULTIRACIAL SUBJECTIVITY IN GINNY &amp; GEORGIA</dc:title>
	<dc:creator>Sugaryamah, Deuis</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Pramita, Agry</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Azmi Firdaus, Ibnu</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Moraru , Daniela Lacramioara</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Nugraha, Cisya Dewantara</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">multiracial identity</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">racial discrimination</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">double consciousness</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">liminality</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">popular media narrative</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en-US">The growing visibility of multiracial characters in contemporary popular media is frequently interpreted as evidence of progressive racial inclusion. Yet increased representation does not necessarily guarantee stable identity formation within narrative structures. This study examines how racial discrimination operates as a constitutive force shaping multiracial subjectivity in the Netflix series Ginny &amp;amp; Georgia (2021). It employs qualitative textual analysis of eight selected scenes from Season One—chosen for their narrative significance in depicting racialised interaction, identity negotiation, and emotional responses to racial ambiguity—to examine how institutional, interpersonal, and internalised forms of racism are narratively constructed. Integrating Jones's multilevel model of racism, Du Bois's concept of double consciousness, and Turner's theory of liminality, the findings indicate that institutional positioning, interpersonal microaggressions, and internalised ambiguity collectively generate what this article conceptualises as destabilised belonging—a condition in which multiracial identity remains persistently unsettled, marked by insecurity, embodied self-harm, and relational isolation. Rather than presenting multiracial identity as harmonious hybridity, the series constructs it as an ongoing negotiation marked by fragmentation and conditional inclusion. By foregrounding the cumulative effects of subtle discrimination, the narrative challenges celebratory discourses of diversity and exposes the persistence of racial hierarchy within ostensibly inclusive environments. This study contributes to cultural and media scholarship by shifting analytical attention from representation alone to the structural and psychological consequences of discrimination in popular media narratives. It argues that multiracial visibility in streaming culture may coexist with continued instability in belonging, revealing the limits of multicultural inclusion in contemporary racial frameworks.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en-US">Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2026-05-26</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:type xml:lang="en-US">Peer-reviewed Article</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/jcall/article/view/55395</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15575/call.v8i1.55395</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en-US">CALL; Vol. 8 No. 1 (2026): CALL; 95-111</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2723-2417</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.15575/call.v8i1</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/jcall/article/view/55395/16489</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en-US">Copyright (c) 2026 Deuis Sugaryamah, Agry Pramita, Ibnu Azmi Firdaus, Daniela Lacramioara Moraru , Cisya Dewantara Nugraha</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en-US">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0</dc:rights>
</oai_dc:dc>