Half vs. Double: Hybrid MathematicsPosted in Articles, Asian Diaspora, Identity Development/Psychology, Media Archive, Social Science on 2010-01-27 19:58Z by Steven |
Half vs. Double: Hybrid Mathematics
Column: Little Momo in the Big Apple
Discover Nikkei: Japanese Migrans and Their Descendants
2008-03-28
My mother is Japanese American, and my father is African American.
According to this equation, most would assert that this fact makes me exactly one-half Asian and one-half Black, right? I whole-heartedly disagree. When faced with an either/or dilemma, I will defiantly choose the both/and option. The sum of my parts, racially speaking, is greater than one. Let me explain:
I am of the school of thought that takes the math-defying stance that mixed people are not split schizophrenically down the middle when it comes to their ethnic identities. This means that despite my ambiguous phenotypic appearance, I consider myself just as Japanese American as anyone who was born to two Japanese American parents. The same applies to my African American side. The fact that my parents are of two different races is incidental to the big picture – my blended cultural heritage cannot be quantified in percentages. If one should insist on doing so, the most accurate description would be to say that I am 100% Japanese and 100% African American, much like a participant in kip fulbeck: part asian, 100% hapa exhibition suggested…
Read the entire article here.