Beyond Labels: Redefining Identity in a Multicultural World
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“Wer bin ich? Der oder jener? Bin ich denn heute dieser und morgen ein andrer?”[1] ——Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Who am I? This one or that one? Am I then this one today and tomorrow another?
The Identity Trap by Yashca Mounk covers six concepts: identity politics, group identity vs. individual identity, social fragmentation, intersectionality, tyrannies of identity, and political consequences. Though all are important, I will focus on the damaging effects of labels from the lens of a multiracial Asian female living in the United States.
No doubt, identities matter to people. The reason why is that having an identity gives people an understanding of how they fit in the world.[2]
In my case, my parents met during the Korean War when my father was assigned, by the State Department, to manage and run an agricultural attaché in Seoul, Korea. It was the mid-1950s and interracial marriages were not only frowned upon but were illegal in the US.[3] Although not illegal in Korea, they crossed a line of a long history of patriarchy and racial homogeneity.[4]
IDENTITY POLITICS
Once they had children, there was another issue to consider. Although views toward mixed-race people are changing in Korea, most are still viewed in derogatory terms or as I have heard, like trash. Even more positive tones categorize us as not Korean, White, Latin, or Black enough, which is what I was reminded of when reading Mounk’s statement,
“…the fact that each person exists at the intersection of different identities came to imply that outsiders could, even if they carefully listened to their stories, never truly come to understand, say, a homosexual Latino or a Black woman.”[5]
When my father retired, our family moved to the United States. I was 14 years old. Up to that point, I attended American International schools where I was just another kid in a sea of other kids from different cultures, colors, and faiths.[6]
GROUP IDENTITY vs. INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY AND SOCIAL FRAGMENTATION
On my first day of school, I walked into a sea of white faces and was immediately “othered” through conversations, exclusion tactics, and other microaggressions. Suddenly, racism became a new and prominent word in my vocabulary. “Markers of identity like race have often cleaved the world into in-group and out-group.”[7] Along with isolation came confusion, and depression.
My solution: I began writing short stories and poetry. Soon, I became the President of the Quill & Scroll Society, always hoping to find a place where I would fit. I dreamed of becoming a journalist, but when I entered college, I remembered thinking I would not make money, so I chose Marketing.
“When we make decisions, we often think of the goals we want to achieve and work backward to identify the means of achieving them.”[8]
My goal was to keep a roof over my head and food on the table, especially since my father had pulled me aside and said, “You have two strikes against you. You’re female and a minority. You will need to work twice as hard.”[9] He was unknowingly describing white supremacy and was setting me up to become a victim of that system.
“The prevalent coping mechanism for immigrants is their determined attitude: I have to work harder to bring myself and my family to the level that this society lives in because I have no other choice.”[10]
TYRANNIES OF IDENTITY
Over the years, my lens became more and more narrow as more people would stop me to ask where are you from? No, really … where are you from? as if my answer of I’m American was not enough. The fact is, I don’t identify with a geographical location because I grew up as a Third Culture Kid and my sense of belonging in the US tends to be very controlled and monitored.
“Our longing for community and purpose is so powerful that it can drive us into joining established groups, systems of belief, or even employments and relationships that, to our diminished or divided self, give the impression of belonging to something greater. But these places often have their own motives and hidden contracts. They grant us conditional membership, requiring us to cut parts of ourselves off in order to fit in.”[11]
INTERSECTIONALITY
Intersectionality has played many roles in my life: cultural, racial, gender, marital status, career, and passions.
- Gender: Being a mixed-race Asian female comes with its own stereotypes, expectations, and confusions— “The Asian daughter is dutiful and often silent. The Western daughter is allowed personal space and voice. In some Asian cultures, married women traditionally keep their “maiden” surname because culturally they are not considered a member of the new family but rather a piece of property. In Western culture, the woman can choose to keep her maiden name for convenience or to make a statement.”[12]
- Race and Racism: Being mixed-race Asian means there is both privilege and oppression. “And because different forms of oppression reinforce each other, any effective form of activism against a particular injustice also needs to fight all other forms of identity-based oppression.”[13]
In the end, there are no rights and wrongs to how a mixed-race individual navigates their life, but what I have learned, which is far more important, is that my identity in Christ far outweighs how society wants to identify me, and when I am part of a safe, inclusive, creative community, I am at home.
[1] Kwame Anthony Appiah. The Lies that Bind: Rethinking Identity (London: Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2018), vii. Kindle Edition.
[2] Kwame Anthony Appiah, The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity, 8.
[3] History.com Editors, “Loving v. Virginia,” History Topics, Last updated December 14, 2022, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/loving-v-virginia.
[4] MinSoo Kim-Boussard, “Challenging Homogeneity in Contemporary Korean Immigrant Women, Immigrant Laborers, and Multicultural Families,” Association for Asian Studies 23, no. 2 (Fall 2018), https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/challenging-homogeneity-in-contemporary-korea-immigrant-women-immigrant-laborers-and-multicultural-families/.
[5] Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time (New York: Penguin Publishing Group, 2023), 60. Kindle Edition.
[6] Nancy Blackman, “The Embracing and Fumbling of Two Cultures,” in Mixed Korean: Our Stories, eds., Cerrissa Kim, Katherine Kim, Sora Kim Russell, and Mary-Kim Arnold (Bloomfield, IN: Truepeny Publishing Co., 2018), Location 3122. Kindle Edition.
[7] Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time, 246.
[8] Shane Parrish, Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results (New York: Penguin Publishing Group, 2023), 103. Kindle Edition.
[9] Conversation between the author and her father when she was in her 20s.
[10] Irina Nevzlin, The Impact of Identity: The Power of Knowing Who You Are (Independently Published, 2019), 71. Kindle Edition.
[11] Toko-pa Turner, Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home (British Columbia: Her Own Room Press, 2017), 56, Kindle Edition.
[12] Kathy Khang, Christie Heller De Leon, and Asifa Dean, More Than Serving Tea: Asian American Women on Expectations, Relationships, Leadership and Faith (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 37. Kindle Edition.
[13] Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time, 62.
About the Author
Nancy Blackman
13 responses to “Beyond Labels: Redefining Identity in a Multicultural World”
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Thank you so much for your honest and vulnerable post, Nancy. I am so glad we are on this journey together and I am enjoying learning from you! You share at the end of your post that your “identity in Christ far outweighs how society wants to identify me.” How has Christ shaped your identity in this way? Why do you think that has the primacy in your identity formation?
Ryan, I’m learning from you, too! Your response is very kind and means alot to me. Thank you.
I came to Christ later in life (early 40s). Before that I was angry, skeptical of people, and lacked self-confidence. I still struggle with trust, but God is showing me how to forgive and let go.
I believe we all have beauty to share with the world.. That includes me, too. It’s learning how to share that beauty that can get a bit confusing. I’m learning to have a voice, which feels like a toddler learning to walk, but I trust that with my bestie (Jesus) by my side, I am slowly learning how to be the best version of my self.
It also helps that I am married to an eternal optimist — LOL.
Nancy,
Thanks for the vulnerability. What are your thoughts regarding an artist community and identity? As you work towards your NPO how do you set identity as important but not have the trap of the identity synthesis develop as Mounk details?
Adam,
Thank you!
Creative people are often viewed as one-offs or misfits, even in Christian circles, and yet, the Bible shows us such beautiful examples of how creative people are needed,
Because creatives are marginalized, how they show up in a creative community will be a bit less anxiety ridden (I hope) than not.
I have pondered how much focus to give to identity in my NPO research because I really want my focus to be about creating an inclusive and safe community no matter who you are. I hope, in the end, this community can debunk some of the identity traps that Mounk writes about.
Hi Nancy, thank you for your post.
How do you balance the desire for inclusion and community with the pressure to conform to societal expectations and labels?
Shela,
Terima kasih kakak. (Did I get that right?)
Very carefully. I often sit quietly and watch to see whether a community is safe and inclusive before committing, that way I don’t fall into society’s expectations and labels, but it’s a daily grind. I don’t always get it right, so I imagine it will be a lifelong process.
Hi Nancy! Thank you for sharing a part of your story. Yourself and Chris are truly inspiring in your journey. As you shared, this somehow identifies with Mounk’s approach towards staying out of the trap. Intersectionality is also spoken of in his book, as you highlighted. How would you use the concept of intersectionality as a means to avoid the trap?
Daren,
Oooh! Why do you ask such a difficult question? LOL
It’s interesting that you picked up on my perspective to stay away from the identity trap because so much of my life, being mixed race, has been about labels. There still is no box for me to check when it comes to race. Often, I am still checking the “Other” box, which is disheartening.
The more I lean into the fact that my identity is in Christ and I can gather with more people who don’t see the other identities or are people who line up with some of my intersecting identities (I’m thinking creative people), there generally isn’t an issue.
I have also learned that living in more multicultural areas give me freedom to not have to think about all of this identity business.
Thanks, my friend 🙂
Hi Nancy, You always have something that is thought provoking, instructive, and reflective. Thank you. When you say that your identity is in Christ, what do you see when you look at yourself with that lens?
Diane,
Great question. It’s taken along time for me and alot of work with my Spiritual Director. I am God’s beloved. I am not the labels that society seems to want to place upon me. I am a child of God, created in God’s image, and though I physically look different than yourself, you and I are both children of God.
I have already wanted another sister! Be blessed.
HI Nancy,
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I really enjoyed reading about it. This section jumped out at me concerning a conversation you had with your father:
“‘You have two strikes against you. You’re female and a minority. You will need to work twice as hard.'[9] He was unknowingly describing white supremacy and was setting me up to become a victim of that system.”
What do you think would have been a better response for him to make concerning the realities of the world you live in?
Kari,
Thanks for reading!
I was fine with his statement because he was a guy who lived in reality, which I have inherited. I would have also liked him to add: but I’m here if you need me to navigate through that and help you figure out the best path.
I grew up with parents that allowed me to choose my path in life (to a certain extent) but they weren’t parents who sat and talked things through with you. I needed that.