| Abstrakt: |
The racialization of "Japanese" has a long history going back to the country's origins within the past two millennia, in the form of words related to descent and bloodline. "Ainoko" (betweener, hybrid) was the most common word in the 19th century. "Konketsuji" (mixed-blood-child) became a strong rival early in the 20th century. "Haafu" (half) was used in fiction in the 1930s but did not begin to replace its rivals until the 1960s and 1970s when many mixed-blood singers became popular. "Haafu-gao" - meaning "half-face" - was used in the 1980s to refer to a "look" that appeared "half foreign" - the essential meaning of "haafu." In the early 2000s, when many "haafu" models and entertainers became popular, some fashion magazines began promoting makeup techniques to create the exotic "haafu-gao" look that is most commonly associated with the offspring of racially "Asian" and "European" parents. Such labeling almost always racializes "Japanese" and "foreigners" so that racially mixed people in Japan, most of whom are Japanese, may be regarded as not fully Japanese. Furthermore, "haafu" who "look" more "foreign" than "Japanese" may be treated like foreigners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
