Maïko Le Lay, "Moving In-Between: How Black and Japanese Hafus Be, Know, and Move Polyculturally On and Offline"

Dr. Le Lay will present early-stage findings of her most recent research project focusing on the identities and the digital and embodied practices of people who identify as Black and Japanese Hafus (ethnically 'half Japanese'). More particularly, this talk examines the ways Hafus navigate their complex biracial identities in different cultural spaces; build community; embody Polyculturalism; and develop new possibilities on and offline. Polyculturalism refers to the idea that individuals' relationships to cultures shift and are partial and plural. It celebrates the interconnectedness between different cultural groups as opposed to multiculturalism which tends to emphasize the separateness between various cultural identities (Kelley, R., Prashad, V.). Le Lay will share emerging themes from recent interviews conducted with Hafus, parents of young Hafus, community organizers, and influencers. The presentation will start with some background context around the loaded term Hafu using examples inspired by public figures such as Naomi Osaka, before identifying how others' perception impact Hafus' feeling of belonging and how they move in the world.

Speaker bio:

Dr. Maïko Le Lay is a postdoctoral fellow affiliated with the Franklin Humanities Institute. She is an interdisciplinary scholar, dancer, and mentor from France and Japan whose research bridges the fields of performance, education, digital humanities, and African and Asian diasporic studies. Her current research examines the identities and embodied and digital practices of Black and Japanese people globally.

Register for the webinar here: https://duke.is/j6azu