Rethinking ‘race’, ‘ethnicity’ and ‘culture’: Is Hawai‘i the ‘model minority’ state?

Abstract

Abstract The state of Hawai'i is often held up as a "multiracial"/"multiethnic" paradise. This is not only because of Hawai'i's ethnic/racial diversity and "aloha" spirit, but because of its high rates of "interracial" marriage. Using historical material as well as an open-ended qualitative "mini-survey" of college students, I dig deeper into this myth by exploring the systems of meaning prevalent in Hawai'i concerning, "race", "ethnicity", and "culture". I argue that, historically, what Hawai'i has exhibited to a much greater degree than most places in the United States is not a "lack" of racialization, but a very complexracial/ethnic code, a very nuanced system of racial and ethnic stratification. However, this system of representation contains a strong culturalcomponent; consequently, "cultural" symbols (i.e. about "way of life" – food, clothing, mannerisms, etc.) sometimes trump"racial" and "ethnic" symbolization. Keywords: Hawai'iracecultureethnicitymultiracialidentity