Philippine E-Journals

Ethnic Identity: The Case of Filipino-Japanese Children in Japan

Sherlyne A. Almonte-acosta

Discipline: Social Science

 

Abstract:

This study tries to understand the characteristics and context of ethnic identity among 30 Filipino- Japanese children, 8-16 years of age, living in Oyama-Shi, Tokyo, and Hiroshima Prefecture. It has identified three interlocking patterns of ethnic identification among Filipino-Japanese children: ethnic preference, the colonizing lens of the majority, and the interiorized ethnic clash/struggle. The ethnic preference pattern refers to the range of perspectives that propel preference, which may include stereotyped images, inferiority, superiority or equality of the majority and minority ethnic groups. The colonizing lens of the majority, the other directed ethnic identification pattern, refers to how Filipino-Japanese children use dominant society's standards in characterizing and judging the members of minority group. The interiorized ethnic clash/ struggle pattern refers to the Filipino-Japanese children's wrestling with their feelings and reactions towards a member of a majority group who emphasized on their difference or inferiority.