When culture becomes a competition
They say that university is where we find our people. We tend to gravitate towards the people who remind us of home and our families as we associate them with the feeling of belonging. But what happens when these places become a ground for competition? The place you thought would be your safe space becomes an environment based on how many stereotypes you fit into. I remember first arriving at university and seeing a mix of different cultures, thinking how different this place was from where I grew up. For the first time, there were people who looked like me.
I’ll never forget the first conversation I had with someone of my ethnicity at UofT. When the conversation about heritage came up, they were shocked to learn that I, too, was Chinese. They said that I, “didn’t look it.” I received this comment many times growing up, but it cut a little deeper than usual this time. I could see them measuring my Chinese-ness, and when they asked if I spoke Chinese, all I could do was shake my head no. The longer the conversation dragged on, the more I felt like I was somehow losing my right to be Asian.
In North America, we measure our identities based on how well we fit the stereotypes of our culture. Growing up we were shamed for deviating from Western culture. Our need to cling to what’s left of our culture has made spaces for marginalised people feel like an exclusive club. This issue is experienced in all spaces, where we find ourselves included or excluded based on which categories we fit into in society. These spaces become hard to navigate, especially when you have little to no ties to your culture. However, if they were more inclusive, they would focus on growing a community that recognises individuals and their shared experiences outside of the stereotypical ones.
Many others feel we have to fight for our right to be in these spaces. Finding one’s place in marginalized communities, for those who have little to no connection to their ethnic heritage, is difficult and leads to feelings of inadequacy. We need to start creating more welcoming spaces that allow people of all cultures and ethnicities to feel like they belong, regardless of the amount of knowledge they have of their culture. Communities need to gain a sense of identity that is not solely defined by being the “Other” in a Western context. Everyone has a right to their heritage and no one can take it away.
