Re-Mix: Rethinking the use of ‘Hapa’ in Mixedrace Asian/Pacific Islander American Community Organizing

Posted in Articles, Asian Diaspora, Identity Development/Psychology, Media Archive, United States on 2009-08-13 19:12Z by Steven

Re-Mix: Rethinking the use of ‘Hapa’ in Mixedrace Asian/Pacific Islander American Community Organizing

McNair Journal
Fall 2005

Angela S. Taniguchi, McNair Scholar
Washington State University

Linda Heidenreich, Chair and Associate Professor
Department of Women’s Studies
Washington State University

The term Hapa is Hawaiian in origin and roughly means ‘half’. Recently, many mixedrace Asian/Pacific Islanders on the mainland began identifying with and using the term Hapa to create organizations specific to their needs.  Largely recognized as a “California phenomenon,” the number of Asian-descent multiracials identifying as Hapa is ever increasing.  Here I investigate the use of the term Hapa historically, as well as its current use in California.  I then discuss the potential political implications of Mixedrace Asian/Pacific Islanders coalescing under the term.

Read the entire article here.

Tags: , , , ,