Embodying What?: Displays of American Filipino In-between-ness

In the United States, Filipinos are the second largest Asian group and the second largest immigrant group in the country. Given the history of anti-Filipino sentiment in the U.S. made evident in the Watsonville Riots, along with the passing of legislation such as the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934 and anti-miscegenation laws, Americans of Filipino ancestry have had to contend with various levels of shame as “Filipino,” derived from the legacies of colonialism and a history of racism. Simultaneously, the imigration from the Philippine motherland and the subsequent language loss by later generations due to assimilation to American society has left Americans of Filipino ancestry feeling a sense of being “not Filipino enough.” This has often left a sense of disconnectedness and longing for affirmation as both American and longing to be a “decolonised” Filipino. Navigating this in-between space, displays of identity and of Filipino-ness in America through performative displays and in performances as “Filipino” can be laced with pride and at times, imagination. Attempts to be transnational” instead of “diasporic” have entered into the performances of “Filipino” that constantly seeks permission and affirmation of “culture bearers” in the Philippines, reiterating the unique positionality of Filipinos in America as being in a place that is both privileged yet marginal. However, particular performances honour the Filipino struggles as Americans and give visibility to their histories. This paper explores the work by New York’s Slant Performance Group’s song “Dime a Dance” and “Ullalim-Sugilanon” by The Autonomous Region and Kultura Kapwa in San Francisco and looks at how these works fulfil and embody empowered American Filipino narratives.