American Cultures: Self Descriptions of Cultural Identity

Ever wonder what students actually answer when asked about their ethnicity on those college forms?

Here are answers from 1609 students enrolled at Berkeley in American Cultures courses.

The questions was:

"Who are you? Please describe your cultural identity."

The list is from 1994.

The first response listed is one of my favorites:

I am American. My parents' ancestral background has no direct influence on me because I am an individual. Unfortunately, the UC doesn't want us to be individuals, just members of a certain "cultural identity."

Some others:

I am alone. Born in California to Chinese parents.

I am me. I like Wheaties. I like kittens and movies and rollerblading. That's all you need to know about me. Who are you?

I refuse to reveal my culture identity, ethnicity. I am American. That should be enough. My race is irrelevant. This question should be eliminated from all administrative forms.

I arrived on this planet in 1973 from a small blue planet bordering the outer limits of this galaxy. When not masquerading as a human I have blue skin and consider myself to be a Schmorg. I am quite proud of my Schmorgness and feel that the dominant white society is suppressing my true identity.

AS you could anticipate, the bullshit meter of the average college student is quite sensitive. I look at these responses and realize I am not interested in identity and bicultutralism where they intersect with politics, or political correctness.

I am interested in understanding myself better, but doing it through understanding that real community of the bi- or multicultural.

I am definitely interested in the psychological, emotional, artistic, historical, personal aspects of individuals on borderlands. Particularly where this all intersects with critical theory and literature. . .