Am I Really Filipino?: The Unintended Consequences of Filipino Language and Culture Courses in Hawai'i

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The colonial mentality, a perception of Filipino cultural inferiority, results in many Filipinos distancing themselves from their Filipino heritage. In Hawai‘i, the colonial history of the Philippines is reinforced by the history of Hawai‘i’s plantation era and the creation of a “local” identity, which marginalizes the Filipino community and strengthens the colonial mentality. A content analysis of 105 essays written by Filipino students enrolled in college-level Filipino language and culture classes in Hawai‘i was conducted to critically examine whether and how educational curriculum is used to challenge the colonial mentality. Data analysis shows students often entered classrooms with a colonial mentality that they learned through familial socialization and experiences of ethnic discrimination outside of the family. Although these language and culture courses helped students to reconnect with their Filipino heritage, many students developed a positive and essentialist construction of a Filipino identity, which reduced the individual’s agency in constructing an identity and facilitated processes of othering.