Spatializing Hybrid Identities: Designing a Third Space for (East) Asian-Americans
Disciplines
Architecture
Abstract (300 words maximum)
In a world shaped by hyper-globalization, identities are no longer bound to a single construct but are forged at the intersection of complex and layered vectors of belonging. Defining one’s identity within clear-cut boundaries has become increasingly challenging, especially for those with multicultural backgrounds. For many Americans with ethnic roots, a sense of belonging is fragmented, as their identities are stretched across multiple cultural frameworks. How can architecture create spaces that represent such hybrid identities? How can design foster a sense of belonging for hyphenated identities, particularly for East-Asian-Americans? This research paper investigates the role of architecture in providing spaces where Asian Americans in urban metropolises such as Atlanta can reinvent their hybrid identities. It argues that a place should avoid three traps: essentialism, museumification, and fetishization. These tendencies freeze culture in time, strip it of agency, and enable outsider control. By contrast, a place of belonging resists static representation and performs the living rituals of the people it serves. Jevremovic’s “Hybridity in and Beyond Architecture: Liminal Conditions” (2017) informs this research by describing hybridity as a condition—a state of constant transformation rather than fixed composition. Drawing from this framework, the paper argues that place should embody four key features: cultural familiarity, sociality, perception of nature, and the perspective between distinct cultures. Finally, this research contends that placemaking should shift from the perspectival to the non-perspectival. Moving away from a singular historical narrative, collage offers a method to represent fragmented yet interconnected identities. In Dadaism and Cubism, collage was used to systematize contemporary life under globalization, oscillating between resistance and hybridity. Investigating such systematized collages creates a dialogue for understanding, recognizing, and clarifying place and identity.
Use of AI Disclaimer
no
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CACM – Architecture
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Ehsan Sheikholharam
Spatializing Hybrid Identities: Designing a Third Space for (East) Asian-Americans
In a world shaped by hyper-globalization, identities are no longer bound to a single construct but are forged at the intersection of complex and layered vectors of belonging. Defining one’s identity within clear-cut boundaries has become increasingly challenging, especially for those with multicultural backgrounds. For many Americans with ethnic roots, a sense of belonging is fragmented, as their identities are stretched across multiple cultural frameworks. How can architecture create spaces that represent such hybrid identities? How can design foster a sense of belonging for hyphenated identities, particularly for East-Asian-Americans? This research paper investigates the role of architecture in providing spaces where Asian Americans in urban metropolises such as Atlanta can reinvent their hybrid identities. It argues that a place should avoid three traps: essentialism, museumification, and fetishization. These tendencies freeze culture in time, strip it of agency, and enable outsider control. By contrast, a place of belonging resists static representation and performs the living rituals of the people it serves. Jevremovic’s “Hybridity in and Beyond Architecture: Liminal Conditions” (2017) informs this research by describing hybridity as a condition—a state of constant transformation rather than fixed composition. Drawing from this framework, the paper argues that place should embody four key features: cultural familiarity, sociality, perception of nature, and the perspective between distinct cultures. Finally, this research contends that placemaking should shift from the perspectival to the non-perspectival. Moving away from a singular historical narrative, collage offers a method to represent fragmented yet interconnected identities. In Dadaism and Cubism, collage was used to systematize contemporary life under globalization, oscillating between resistance and hybridity. Investigating such systematized collages creates a dialogue for understanding, recognizing, and clarifying place and identity.