Issues of identity outside of America

Early consciousness of identity Finding parallels through art Refusing to use a Chinese name to identify as Asian American The Hapa Project Perceptions of uniqueness Defusing myths through The Hapa Project Difficulty responding to the question "What are you?" Lessons learned from The Hapa Project Differing responses by gender to the Hapa Project Identity as a conscious ongoing process Japanese Americans are more aware of their Hapa identity Hapa as his primary identity Discomfort at being labeled by others International dimensions of hapa identity Issues of identity outside of America Imposing identity upon others Changing fortunes of "identity art" The right to say who you are Defining the term "Hapa"

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I haven’t shown them that much in other countries yet. I spent the summer living in Japan, living in Yokohama and so I did bring my portfolio with me and I showed them around there and people were fairly interested there because the outmarriage rate is starting to become bigger in Japan. But they really sort of still saw it as an American phenomenon. Like, “You talk about yourself so much! I mean, I would never be able to write that.” It was still the kind of “enryo” thing, “I would never be able to say that”—but they were interested.

Date: May 3, 2006
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Jim Bower
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum.

hapa identity multiracial