Identity, dislocation and belonging: Chinese/European narratives of mixedness in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Abstract

With over 10% of the population identifying with multiple ethnic groups, identities in New Zealand are increasingly complex. This article explores identifications of individuals of mixed Chinese and European descent: the ways in which personal location, classification and race influence feelings of belonging within and between multiple ethnic groups. The fluidity and diversity of the New Zealand context and the resulting positioning of ‘mixed race’ provide an interesting counterpoint to the comparatively well-studied American and British contexts. Drawing on 20 interviews with individuals of mixed descent, this research highlights how individual identity diverges from official classification and how this dissonance is understood through experiences of dislocation and belonging. ‘Mixedness’ is negotiated and enacted in many ways, as individuals find ways to belong in the face of wider dislocation, intertwining aspects of heritage, experience, community and nation.

Keywords:

• race
• ethnicity
• identity
• mixedness
• post-colonial

Notes

1. Race is understood as socially rather than biologically determined and will henceforth be used without scare quotes.

2. Attributions are as follows: age, gender, mother's background/father's background as described by participant.

3. Interestingly, ‘New Zealander’ was recorded as the third largest ethnic group in the 2006 census (Statistics New Zealand 2009). For further discussion, see Kukutai and Didham (2009).