How do you self-identify?

**Mortimer** · 01-14-2017, 03:31 AM

A thread from forumbiodiversity.

Copy&paste from user @Esther

How do you self-identify?
Aside from nationality, if someone asks and you say (i.e.) American, but then they ask; yes but what are your origins? Do you just say European/African, tri-racial?

And to people of mixed race, how do you identify, with the predominant part of your ancestry? Or do you go by 'mestiza, castiza, 'half-half', 'mutt'?

Also aside from what you tell people, how is that you truly feel as in what part of you do you identify the most with? (considering what you say doesn't have to coincide with how you feel/which part your the most connected with). You can be i.e Dutch/English, but connect more with your English side.

Sorry for the extra explanation just trying to make sure my point comes across clearly.

My response.
#Depends on the person who I interact with what I communicate him or her about my origins, but usually I would say "Im from Serbia" without specifying which ethnicity I am. Usually people dont ask further. That works in Austria, in a other country it might not work. People also more often ask me about my religion then my ethnicity, here.

#I feel equally close to romani and serbs, I have strong ties to Serbia, Im first generation immigrant, I listen to serbian music, speak serbian at home, and eat serbian food, I celebrate serbian-christmas on 7th January, I go to serbian church. I have a serbian name. The perfect match would be someone like me who is Roma with extra serb ancestry and culturally does the same as I do, believes the same as I do. I would the closest to such a person but I cant generalise that I feel close to every roma, I dont have much in common with British or Spanish Roma, I do feel solidarity with them too, but on a cultural level we are quiete different. As I said the perfect match is someone like me.

**Mortimer** · 01-14-2017, 03:35 AM

Originally Posted by Mortimer

A thread from forumbiodiversity.

Copy&paste from user @Esther

My response.
#Depends on the person who I interact with what I communicate him or her about my origins, but usually I would say "Im from Serbia" without specifying which ethnicity I am. Usually people dont ask further. That works in Austria, in a other country it might not work. People also more often ask me about my religion then my ethnicity, here.

#I feel equally close to romani and serbs, I have strong ties to Serbia, Im first generation immigrant, I listen to serbian music, speak serbian at home, and eat serbian food, I celebrate serbian-christmas on 7th January, I go to serbian church. I have a serbian name. The perfect match would be someone like me who is Roma with extra serb ancestry and culturally does the same as I do, believes the same as I do. I would the closest to such a person but I cant generalise that I feel close to every roma, I dont have much in common with British or Spanish Roma, I do feel solidarity with them too, but on a cultural level we are quiete different. As I said the perfect match is someone like me.

I forgot, racially I identify as "mixed race" or "some other race" on forms.

**Svipdag** · 01-14-2017, 05:23 PM

I say "half Norwegian, half Massachusetts Yankee (whatever that implies)."

**Danaan** · 01-14-2017, 05:28 PM

Half Greek and another half Greek as well.

**Oneeye** · 01-14-2017, 05:30 PM

I just say English. If they continue on I'll mention my German and Norwegian ancestry.

**Dandelion** · 01-14-2017, 05:31 PM

The white-looking Antillian girl. Fooling white nationalists despite carrying Negroid genes. I remember her.

**frankhammer** · 01-14-2017, 05:33 PM

Nationality, New Zealander. Ethnicity, English. Reality, a lost puppy.

**Dandelion** · 01-14-2017, 05:34 PM

Just Dutch-speaking Belgian because the state I live in is Belgium. Culturally I identify with all Dutch-speakers and I could call myself Dutch as well, but I have no historical link to the modern state identity of the Netherlands and as to avoid confusion I just say what's on my ID.