I’m struggling with my identity lately. I never really did before although I had the odd moment but that seems to be quite normal coming from two different cultures. I have no clue what triggered it, perhaps a remark which was made a while ago by an Australian girl who had a Dutch surname. I was introduced to her when we went to Christie’s for the Barbie auction here in London. She mentioned she was Eurasian after she asked me what breed I am and I replied half European, half Asian to her…

I never used the word Eurasian, didn’t even know its existence. I’ve heard of Afro-American, Native-American, Afro-Caribbean, Latin-American, Anglo-Indian and so on, but that was it… In the Lowlands people tend to call me ‘Indo’, somehow it’s a bad thing; if a stranger or Caucasian person calls you Indo, it would be name calling. If a coloured person would call me Indo, it would be alright… Indo means Portuguese/Dutch/English-Indonesian.

Here’s some wikipedia:

Most Eurasians in Southeast and South Asia carry European surnames, and the possession of such surnames sometimes indicates European descent; except in the case of the Philippines and certain Hindu/Sikh/Catholic communities in India. Most Eurasians have one Asian parent and one white parent. Eurasian, in English vernacular, is a term that refers to those of mixed European and Asian ancestry.

The most common ancestry and surname of Eurasians is British for those in South Asia; Portuguese for those in Malaysia, Macau, East Timor, and Goa; Dutch for those in Indonesia and French for those in Vietnam. In Burma, the Anglo-Burmese reflect the most diverse lineage and include British, Irish, Dutch, French, Portuguese, German and Spanish surnames.

Eurasians who may identify a certain way are not always identified in the same way by everyone else. Oftentimes the one factor that absolutely determines how total strangers identify a Eurasian is the degree to which one looks Asian or White. But there is also the problem or possibility of being mistaken for a Eurasian by others, when the subject actually happens to be “monoracial”. This is due to some perception of stereotype of what a person of a particular region or ancestry is “supposed” to look like.

Among those who are familiar with the Eurasian however, other cultural and social factors add to how they would identify the Eurasian. As these are less observable, it is difficult to compile a concise list. A study by the University of Western Australia found Eurasians were viewed as more attractive than Japanese or Caucasians by a participant pool of mostly white Australians and a minority of Japanese. In all three experiments faces with mixed-race characteristics were particularly attractive.

Mixed-race averaged composites, created by combining faces from two races, were rated as more attractive than either Caucasian or Asian averaged composites by both Caucasian and Asian raters (in experiments 1 and 2, but not experiment 3), and individual mixed-race faces (Eurasian) were rated as more attractive than either Caucasian or Asian faces (experiment 3). Eurasian composites, made from Eurasian faces, were also more attractive than Caucasian and Asian composites (experiment 3). These results clearly demonstrate the appeal of mixed-race traits.

So how I identify myself, might not be how you identify me. Asian people tend to recognise the Asian features in me but most Caucasian people can’t see the difference, only those who are familiar with it or have Asian relatives, friends etc. To some it’s obvious to others it’s a complete mystery…

Now does this all make me an Eurasian Indo, an Eurasian or an Indo?