On Being Hawaiian Enough: Contesting American Racialization with Native Hybridity

Abstract

There is incredible diversity within the Hawaiian community. Yet oftentimes Hawaiians are imagined to be a homogeneous group. This article probes the relationship between early twentieth-century representations of Hawaiians and the discursive construction of Hawaiianness along racial lines. Taking an ethnographic approach, I draw on the personal experience and family histories of contempo-rary Hawaiians whose lives reflect hybridity and multiplicity. I argue that the creation of a monolithic Hawaiian culture is rooted in the convergence of scientific and touristic depictions, which privilege phenotype over other components of identity. The stories of research participants reveal how color consciousness, racialization, and not feeling “Hawaiian enough ” complicate matters for the lähui Hawaiÿi (Hawaiian community). correspondence may be sent to:

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