HYPHEN Magazine: HYBRIDs, “Hapas” & Cultural Appropriation
Posted by colinresponse on March 6, 2008
HYPHEN Magazine has been doing BIG thangs in the Asian Pacific Amerikan community for some time now.
Hyphen is a magazine about Asian America for the culturally and politically savvy. Built around a clarity of image, word and social awareness, Hyphen takes form from the artists, thinkers and creators who are shaping a new multiethnic generation.
Hyphen is not a formula but a sensibility—not a collection of recycled fare with an Asian flavor, but original reporting on stories that move beneath the mainstream. Curious and questioning, Hyphen looks into the hard issues, but also the Asian American by accident, by tangent or by happenstance. Visually arresting, it strikes the gut with clean design, sharp photography and original illustration.
Like its readers, Hyphen is many things—cool librarian, shy musician, dorky hipster, cute techie. Like Asian America, its interests are varied—politics, art, health, music. Much like the hyphen connects words and concepts, Hyphen magazine connects readers with Asian America as it happens.
Their latest press is entitled “The Hybrid Issue,” and focuses on the identity of Multiracial Asian Pacific Amerikans like yours truly. The cover (is a bit ridiculous to me and) features author and UCSB Professor Asian Amerikan Studies and Art, Kip Fulbeck.
My favorite article concerning the term “Hapa/hapa,” is entitled “Lost In Translation,” written by an aquaintance of mine, Oakland-based writer for the Nichibei Times (Bay Area Japanese Amerikan Newspaper), Alec Yoshio Macdonald. This piece covers “the trials and tribulations of public (language) transportation. Some Native Hawaiians say “hapa” is being misused.” This piece basically emcompasses both the sense of belonging and liberation that the term “Hapa,” brought to many Asian Pacific Amerikans of mixed race, as well the pain appropriating the term brought to Native Hawaiians of mixed race.
As a Professor of Asian Amerikan Studies at San Francisco State University, Wei Ming Dariotis is my SHERO and has been one of, if not THE first academics to specifically focus on the study of Asian Amerikans of Mixed Race. Click this to read her article “HAPA: The Word of Power.” It is truly fascinating. I recently completed my application process for the Asian Amerikan Studies M.A. Program at SFSU and hopefully will be working directly with her in the Fall. Keep yo’ fngers crossed!
The realization of how the term “Hapa,” has harmed Native Hawaiians when being used by mixed race API Amerikans has caused me to decide that I must discontinue my use of this word to self-identify. At the same time, I felt incredibly saddened at the thought of abandoning this word. I have for the majority of my life, found solace in this word. It gave me community, identity, security and a recognition differing from the ‘Black-White’ paradigm that dominates conversation relating to Race & Ethnicity in Amerika. It gave mixed race API Amerikans a space to gather where their “Asiatic authenticity,” was never questioned.
Despite the plethora of freedom this word brought me and many like me, the plain and simple fact is that it was at the expense of the genocide and colonization of indigenous Hawaiians. If I am to always stay the course of anti-oppression, I cannot allow myself to continue using the term “Hapa.” If any multiracial API Amerikans out there have any ideas as to a new nomenclature for our constituency, I’d love to hear your ideas! I’ll be brainstorming and will make a new post in regards to some ideas. Holla at cha boyboy, (ex)Hapas.
Peace and Mahalo,
Senbei
March 6, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Damn, sun, that’s some deep shit. Its interesting because it might speak to our need to always label and categorize things, instead of being comfortable with ambiguity. At the same time, it is probably easier for me to say that bc although I am bicultural, of mixed Asian descent, I have still always had a clear physical east Asian appearance, and thus have always been “accepted” in one group to a certain degree. This racism is killing me inside!
March 7, 2008 at 10:39 am
Dave Chappelle’s “this racism is killing me iniside,” line was one of the deepest sh*ts ever in the history of TV. The way he said it with a smile on his face spoke to so many people, because of the way folks of color have to grin and bear this degrading, f*cked up sh*t.
But anyhoo, =P the world of an ethnically ambigous person is absolutely ridiculous, and can make me feel like Im all alone. I also know that in reality, that it could be worse and that I actually share the collective struggle against systematic oppression with you, em, jei, G, the homies, all people of color, women, gay folks, poor/working class people, immigrants, non-christians, youth, senior citizens, disabled people, etc. All our sh*t looks INCREDIBLY different but it all comes from the same source: Bill O’Reilly. LOL…jk. (but foreel tho). =P
Unless you are a poor, teenage, queer, black, muslim, woman in wheel chair who just immigrated here, you benefit from kind of privilege. Unless you are a wealthy, straight, white, anlgo-saxon, protestant, christian male born in soho/manhattan you will experience some kind of oppression. I think the biggest way oppression affects us all, is to make us feel like no one understands what we have to go through each day, and no one ever will. I just feel truly blessed to be surrounded by folks who make an effort to understand me, even when who i am confuses them. I appreciate the “blog squad” (u, me and g) my future wife emalyn, and every one of my allies so much and hope yall never forget that.
stay TRUE king chedda,
C+
March 8, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Right on ya’ll.
That word hapa always made me feel like an outsider cuz i was jealous that there was a word, and of course a community that went along with that word, but there wasn’t for black/white folks like myself. That came from there being a Hapa club at b-high and my patna went to the meetings at lunch time, and while she and the rest of the club talked about their shit i was left to figure shit out solo. Of course that shit wasn’t their fault, because it was tight that they had their shit, but that shit just left me feeling like the black folks who are mixed are in a fucked up isolated ass situation.
Hmmm, i aint thought about that shit in a while…damn, shit gets deep.
Peace ya’ll,
G
March 8, 2008 at 12:54 pm
damn, i sure say ’shit’ a lot.
March 8, 2008 at 1:34 pm
LOL. sometimes ’shit’ leaves as at such a loss for words that its necessary to say it over and over to make ’shit’ clear.
they way i see being mixed asian/white or latino/white is that it seems easier for these folks to “pass,” as white than it does for black/white folks. growing up in the yay, ive come to know a plethora of mixed black folks and the difference ive noticed personally, whether they are black/white, black/asian, black/latino, is that the country/local community (police, teachers, employers, politicians and all those outside “the black community”) seem to view them simply as “black.” in my own opinion, there seems to be an extra degree of racism that hits mixed folks of african heritage that mixed API and latino folks can sometimes sidestep should they be able to “pass.”
in any case, its completely not simple enough to put into a paragraph and i also can only speak from my own experience. what i can say for sure is that the feelings of isolation that come with being mixed seem to be pretty universal amongst all the multiracial folks ive come across. having to “prove” our authenticity seems to be pretty much and “across the board” thing ive seen at some point in each of our lives as well.
thanks for sharing your thoughts g. it seems like anytime any racial group is able to label themselves it both gives those in the group community/identity, but also will undoubtedly end up leaving certain people out. i hope someday it all makes sense.
being mixed: the “blueprint2″ double album (the gift & the curse),
C