Not black, but Habasha: Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants in American society

Abstract

In this article, I examine the identity choices of Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants of Amhara, Tigrayan and Tigrinya ethnicity within the context of the larger debate on how non-white immigrants are being incorporated into American society. I argue that these immigrants resist racialization even while their actions and attitudes potentially reinforce America's racial divide. They implicitly challenge American racial categories by thinking of themselves as Habasha, which they view as a separate non-black ethno-racial category that emphasizes their Semitic origins. Meanwhile, they often distance themselves from American blacks through pursuing transnational connections, producing Habasha spaces, displaying the attributes of a ‘model minority’ and preserving Habasha beauty through endogamy. By remaining relatively isolated within their ethnic communities in Washington, DC, which is the focus of this study, they may succeed in differentiating themselves from American blacks, but they are not likely to join the American mainstream on a par with whites.

Keywords:

• Immigration
• transnationalism
• race
• ethnicity
• identity
• Habasha

Notes

1. The US Census counted foreign-born Ethiopians and Eritreans together until 1993, when Eritrean independence was recognized by the US government. US Census 2008 does not provide population figures for foreign-born Eritreans, but estimates that 137,012 foreign-born Ethiopians live in the USA.

2. In the past, intermarriage between Ethiopians and Eritreans, particularly those who shared the Tigrinya language, occurred often and was considered endogamous. However, in the wake of the 1998 border conflict, intermarriage between the two nationalities has become rarer, although it still takes place from time to time in Washington.