Beyond being either-or Osanami Törngren, Sayaka; Sato, Yuna
Journal of ethnic and migration studies,
2021, Letnik:
47, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Although the number of multiracial and multiethnic Japanese who are socially recognised and identified as haafu (mixed) has increased due to a rise in intermarriages, the identities and experiences ...of mixed persons in Japan are seldom critically analysed. Based on interviews with 29 multiracial and multiethnic individuals residing in Japan, this article explores not only how multiracial and multiethnic Japanese identify themselves but also how they feel they are identified by others in society. The analysis shows that multiracial and multiethnic persons self-identify in a way that goes beyond either-or categories and the binary notions of Japanese/foreigner. It also reveals how both multiracial and multiethnic persons face a gap between self-identity and ascribed identity and that they negotiate this gap in various ways. However, the gap and the negotiation process that multiracial persons face differ to those of multiethnic persons. Multiracial persons whose mixedness is phenotypically visible experience more constraints in their ethnic options and have more difficulty in passing as Japanese, whereas multiethnic persons whose mixedness is invisible can pass as Japanese more easily but face constraints in their ethnic option to be identified as mixed and in claiming their multiethnic background.
This special issue brings together nine articles on the experiences of multiracial and multiethnic individuals from nine different countries across the globe - the United Kingdom, Sweden, Ireland, ...Spain, Canada, the United States, Japan, Singapore and Israel. The articles in this volume address the diverse experiences of the identification, socialising and mainstreaming of multiethnic and multiracial individuals in different national contexts. The collection consists of both qualitative and quantitative research from various disciplines in the social sciences and thus contributes to an interdisciplinary understanding and a multi-method approach to this reality. Through a cross-country analysis of the results provided by each paper, this Introduction proposes a conceptual framework for better understanding the realities of mixedness globally.
Although the number of multiracial and multiethnic Japanese who are socially recognised and identified as haafu (mixed) has increased due to a rise in intermarriages, the identities and experiences ...of mixed persons in Japan are seldom critically analysed. Based on interviews with 29 multiracial and multiethnic individuals residing in Japan, this article explores not only how multiracial and multiethnic Japanese identify themselves but also how they feel they are identified by others in society. The analysis shows that multiracial and multiethnic persons self-identify in a way that goes beyond either-or categories and the binary notions of Japanese/foreigner. It also reveals how both multiracial and multiethnic persons face a gap between self-identity and ascribed identity and that they negotiate this gap in various ways. However, the gap and the negotiation process that multiracial persons face differ to those of multiethnic persons. Multiracial persons whose mixedness is phenotypically visible experience more constraints in their ethnic options and have more difficulty in passing as Japanese, whereas multiethnic persons whose mixedness is invisible can pass as Japanese more easily but face constraints in their ethnic option to be identified as mixed and in claiming their multiethnic background.
Let L(G) denote the space of integer-valued length functions on a countable group G endowed with the topology of pointwise convergence. Assuming that G does not satisfy any non-trivial mixed ...identity, we prove that a generic (in the Baire category sense) length function on G is a word length and the associated Cayley graph is isomorphic to a certain universal graph U independent of G. On the other hand, we show that every comeager subset of L(G) contains 2ℵ0 “asymptotically incomparable” length functions. A combination of these results yields 2ℵ0 pairwise non-equivalent regular representations G→Aut(U). We also prove that generic length functions are virtually indistinguishable from the model-theoretic point of view. Topological transitivity of the action of G on L(G) by conjugation plays a crucial role in the proof of the latter result.
Understanding Mixed Experiences Osanami Törngren, Sayaka; Irastorza, Nahikari; Rodríguez-García, Dan
Journal of ethnic and migration studies,
2021, Letnik:
47, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
This special issue brings together nine articles on the experiences of multiracial and multiethnic individuals from nine different countries across the globe – the United Kingdom, Sweden, Ireland, ...Spain, Canada, the United States, Japan, Singapore and Israel. The articles in this volume address the diverse experiences of the identification, socialising and mainstreaming of multiethnic and multiracial individuals in different national contexts. The collection consists of both qualitative and quantitative research from various disciplines in the social sciences and thus contributes to an interdisciplinary understanding and a multi-method approach to this reality. Through a cross-country analysis of the results provided by each paper, this Introduction proposes a conceptual framework for better understanding the realities of mixedness globally.
We verify a conjecture of Vershik by showing that Hall's universal countable locally finite group can be embedded as a dense subgroup in the isometry group of the Urysohn space and in the ...automorphism group of the random graph. In fact, we show the same for all automorphism groups of known infinite ultraextensive spaces. These include, in addition, the isometry group of the rational Urysohn space, the isometry group of the ultrametric Urysohn spaces, and the automorphism group of the universal Kn-free graph for all n≥3. Furthermore, we show that finite group actions on finite metric spaces or some finite relational structures form a Fraïssé class, where Hall's group appears as the acting group of the Fraïssé limit. We also embed continuum many non-isomorphic universal countable locally finite groups into the isometry groups of various Urysohn spaces, and show that all dense countable subgroups of these groups are mixed identity free (MIF). Finally, we give a characterization of the isomorphism type of the isometry group of the Urysohn Δ-metric spaces in terms of the distance value set Δ.
One in ten Swedes today is of mixed background, with parents of differing countries of origin. Despite mixed Swedes being an integral part of Swedish society, little is known about their experiences. ...Based on fourteen qualitative interviews with mixed Swedes who reported to be racialized as Latino, Asian, Arab, or Black, this article explores the freedom and limitations in asserting their ethnic and racial identity. Mixed Swedes’ experiences show that while identification is flexible and the choice to identify as Swedish or mixed reflects their personal decision to connect with their national, cultural, and ethnic background, they cannot choose whether or how they will be racialized or racially categorized by others.
Increasing immigration and intermarriage in Sweden and Japan have led to a growing multiracial and multiethnic population. Approximately 7% of the Swedish population and 2% of the Japanese population ...are multiracial and multiethnic today. Based on a total of 39 interviews with mixed persons in Sweden and Japan, I examine the self-claimed and ascribed identification among mixed Japanese and mixed Swedes. I argue that, despite the contextual differences, there are commonalities of experiences and identification. These commonalities of experiences shed light on the conditions the mixed individuals feel that they must fulfill in order to have their different claims to identities validated. The study gives a unique insight into how racial appraisal constrains individual choices of identity in a context where there is no official classification of racial and ethnic groups.
This paper explores how being Peranakan is related to (not) being Chinese in Singapore, intertwining descent, racial categorization, cultural practice and choice. Tracing the complex history of ...Peranakan identity, it highlights how the social construction of race has created a hybrid yet ethnically Chinese identity, with a rich cultural heritage largely relegated to the past. Drawing on theories of racial formation and the racial state, this study illuminates racial ascription and categorization in Singapore. Interviews with 32 Peranakan individuals highlight the positioning of Peranakan identity within the multiracial framework, subsumed within the Chinese category. Examining the idea of being 'Orang Cina Bukan Cina/Chinese but not Chinese', the paper addresses nuances of locating the mixedness of hybridity in a racially structured context. Juxtaposed against the recent revitalization of Peranakan material culture, Peranakan as 'locally born' illustrates how this complex identity is used in everyday life by individuals and the state.
This article examines how multiethnic individuals in Japan navigate both racial and ethno-national boundaries between Japanese and non-Japanese, and how these boundaries shape or constrain their ...identity option as Japanese. While previous research primarily focused on the (in)visibility of mixedness (race) as constraints, this study emphasises the role of ethnicity and nation in shaping their identity choices and constraints. Through interviews with 17 individuals born to Japanese and non-Japanese Asian parents, the study reveals that ethno-national boundaries often limit their self-identification as Japanese, even though their non-Japanese backgrounds are not visibly apparent. It challenges the dominant narrative surrounding 'hāfu', which emphasises a desire to be fully seen as Japanese, by revealing that some multiethnic individuals in Japan do not aspire to be perceived as entirely Japanese. Despite the contrasting nature of these two identifications, they both stem from the same issue - the narrow conceptualisation of Japaneseness.
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