20th Century Chinese Adoptee, colorblind racism and cultural shame and disconnect (Part II)
@justasingaporegirl asked:
Hi, I’m the one who sent in the question about a 20th century Chinese adoptee a while back! Thank you for answering my question, but I think you misinterpreted my meaning. I apologise for being unclear. What I meant was that her white family truly sees beyond race and so they treat her as one of their own. It is society that frowns upon their relationship and sees her as inferior. So even though she’s never been made to feel ‘unworthy’ in her own family—different, perhaps, but not inferior—society still attacks her and her family and she’s rejected her own culture to be more ‘white’ in a futile attempt to fit in. How can I write a character living in a white society, who acts very much like a white person, and yet remind the readers that she is not a white girl and never can be? Perhaps more importantly, how can I show her being ashamed of her ethnicity without suggesting to the reader that being POC is not something to be proud of?
Original ask: Chinese girl adoptee in 20th century, family with white supremacist views, & a racist person who “changes their attitude” towards Chinese people
—
Your clarification indicates that you still need to do more research on Sino-Anglo race relations for the early 20th century. Furthermore, with respect to your last sentence: writing a heroine that is ashamed of her ethnicity already implies that being PoC is not something to be proud of. –mod Jess
“her white family truly sees beyond race” I doubt that. They are not “truly seeing beyond race” - they are choosing to ignore it. Additionally, the family does not live in a vacuum away from society’s attacks. This clarification doesn’t change our answers.
- SK
“Her white family truly sees beyond race.” There’s this misconception that transracial adoptions by white people see “beyond race” or that they’re not racist by default when this is not true. There are many ways transracial adoption by white people can go wrong including ignoring the adoptee’s race and being oblivious to denying adoptees their culture.
Even without a family ignoring her race, why are people so interested in making self-hating poc? What we need more than ever are poc with pride in their identity.
- Mod Sci
I think Jess, SK and Sci were quite clear in their initial response. Once again: a family that does not make an effort to allow an adopted child to keep in touch with their roots is not treating them well. It is quite the angst ridden plot, but not, I think, an example of compassionate parenting. Even if her family were treating her compassionately, there’s no way she wouldn’t one day realize “Oh hey, I look different from my parents, and it affects how people treat me.” Having a number of friends who are transracial adoptees as well as knowing a large number of mixed race children who do not resemble their parents (including myself), I can assure you: children figure these things out very quickly.
Racism: Temporal and Regional Variations
Your idea of a Chinese adoptee ridiculed and shamed for being Chinese by European counterparts doesn’t really jive with the political circumstances of the period.
Keep in mind that current racial dynamics (Particularly modern-day American racial dynamics) would be different from what they would have been over 100 years ago. This is not to say racism didn’t exist, but rather that a person’s income (inherited or earned) and trade (manual labor versus industrialist versus landlord) were also significant predictors of how they would be treated.
Thus, you would have to think about your character’s adoptive family.
What is their social status?
How did she come to be adopted?
Who are the kind of Europeans who would be in the position and have the motivation to adopt a Chinese girl at the turn of the century?
Their social status would impact not only on how the whole family is treated, but her in particular. A wealthy, upper-class family with business and social ties is not likely to be poorly treated by much of society relative to a poor family. However, given that many adoptions during this period were either for the purpose of inheritance or using the child for free labor, does it make sense for a poor European family who treats their adoptive daughter well to adopt a child they are not likely related to?
Narratives of Shame for Outsider POC
However, what bothers me most about both versions of your ask is this:
“ [...] how can I show her being ashamed of her ethnicity without suggesting to the reader that being POC is not something to be proud of?”
I don’t think you can. I think a POC character whose entire storyline is one of exclusion and shame because they are POC is plainly conveying to the audience that being POC is a shameful thing. I hope you are open to considering some changes to this plot, because there are some very interesting ways this story could go if you allowed your protagonist to embrace their heritage and gave them corresponding life experiences. To that effect, I have 4 suggestions:
1. Give her strong role models to connect her to her heritage:
As we know, many port cities in E Asia and SE Asia during this period would have had English-language missionary schools and universities. If her family is wealthy, it would not be unusual for them to send her to a missionary school (if they are based out of Asia) or hire a missionary-school educated, Chinese governess. Missionary schools were seen as advantageous educational opportunities in many parts of Asia. Child education was also a respectable career for an educated, independent woman in the early 1900s. If you go this route, be sure to give her educators characterization and roles beyond just nurturing her.
2. Rather than virulent, more violent forms of racism, consider racism that is more subtle and insidious
A frothing bigot in the street can easily become caricature, but a close friend or family member who betrays their bias shows how pervasive racism and xenophobia poison our relationships with each other. Imagine the difference between a storekeeper who snubs her versus a friend who casually reveals a previously unknown prejudice. Which scenario produces more tension?
3. Show her as being invested in her homeland, and give her allies who support this.
In my opinion, this is just good practice. If you want to mine that sweet, sweet outsider POC angst, do your audience a favor and balance the story with the good things in her life. More importantly, given that her family is not rooted in her homeland culture, her characterization can show more growth over time by having aspects of her life and identity (motivations, friends, past-times) that extend beyond her family.
4. Have her be embraced by other Chinese people rather than constantly trying to fit in with white people who will never accept her.
In addition to countering bummer vibes, this is more historically accurate. Many upper-class and upper middle-class groups throughout colonized Asia recognized that the only way to have some measure of control when dealing with colonizers was to develop the necessary Western linguistic and cultural fluency to be permitted in the same room as white men. Women from these backgrounds, in particular, seized the educational and career opportunities emerging as a result of greater access to schooling and diplomatic circles in conjunction with increased support for feminism in labor movements. A short time on Wikipedia will reveal many prominent Asian women in the early 20th century with exposure to both their home culture and the West. Thus, even in Europe, your character would have no shortage of contemporaries who would empathize with her situation and also recognize her value as a potential ally in countering sinophobia and colonization.
- Marika.
