Hafu

I would agree that some European countries make it difficult for certain populations to feel like they belong. (Example: Muslims in France, Turks in Germany and Indians in England) But, I feel that mixed-race individuals in those countries are actually integrated into society. From my experiences in Europe, being half-European, and say half-Asian, doesn't merit exclusion.

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Very interesting from Mdiaz about the time that one can stay in Japan, 3 years, and that picking up a Japanese spouse makes it all good. I have a niece and nephew who are half Japanese. I think that they are totally accepted by their relatives, but because my brother divorced their mother, he is not as accepted. (obviously)

I am reminded also of a Marlon Brando movie that I cannot remember the name of, where he falls for a Japanese performer. It was a very touching movie. And then of course there is Madam Butterfly. Wow, what a heartbreaker, and a very interesting comment on how American's viewed a child who was a Hafu, being raised by a Japanese mother.

Why are Japanese so rigid with identity? It is a good question to ponder, especially since it is easy for japanese to welcome outsiders into the Imperial family as well as in families with no male heir. This was mentioned in one of our lectures. I think it was Prof. Miyake. Why the change to non-acceptance? On a personal note, my friend has lived and worked in Japan for 30 years through the Univesity of Michigan. He is married to a Japanese woman and has a son. The son is not fully accepted by soceity as full Japanese since he is mixed. the son looks all Japanese and speaks both English and japanese fluently. He has no accent, nor does his dad.
Mr. Macias commented that some of his students are mixed and have no problems of acceptance. I disagree. I think it depends what the mix is. I worked in south central LA and some of the kids were mixed Latino and African-American. When the racial riots occurred, there was a dilemna on what side to support.

I can't help but disagree with the idea that certain nations have eliminated the rigidity of national identity attributed to the Japanese. I would argue that there is a sliding scale of notions of national identity here in the US. American citizens of different ethnic identities experience being American in different ways. Gloria Anzaldua's work, Borderlands, coined the phrase "Nepantla" to describe the nebulous identity of Chicanos in the US. She poses an interesting argument that we are neither here nor there in reference to our identity. She explores the hybridity of culture and the inherent conflicts that arise from this shifting location of self. Moreover, I don't feel the warm embrace as a full-blooded American despite my citizenship when I know that just a few hundred miles away in the state of Arizona, I might be pulled over and questioned because of the way I look. Furthermore, places like Australia and the US have only recently begun to recognize the history of systematic racial cleansing and state-sanctioned segregation. We can never forget these injustices. William Halett Carr, a British historian wrote, “Great history is written precisely when the historian’s version of the past is illuminated by insights into the problems of the present.” I find that the lectures and postings continually take me down this journey of self-reflection and analysis, looking for commonalities and differences in the various ways we as human beings have organized our societies.

I also feel that its not just the Japanese culture that has difficulty with accepting those who are not 100% "like them." The biggest issue may be that even within certain cultures, be it Hispanic, Asian, European, there are differing values about what it takes to fit in. I feel that in America especially, there are those who have adopted a more "American" version of their ethnic culture. Any culture/person that is so rigid that it feels the obligation to not accept people who are only half of this and half of that, really needs to develop a better sense of tolerance. If you can't accept people who share ethnic and cultural similarities, how can you accept the differences of others who you share no commonalities with.

This is a great question to bring up. I agree that the Japanese are not the only culture to bring exclusion to mixed race citizens, especially historically. Think about the Latin American independence movements- they were all based off of mestizo and mulatto prejudice. And what about the European internment camps for being half-jewish in the 1930/1940s?

So if Hafu means half-Japanese, what does Hapa mean?