Half-caste
Encyclopedia
Half-caste is a term used to describe people of mixed race
or ethnicity. Caste
comes from the Latin castus, meaning pure, and the derivative Portuguese and Spanish casta, meaning race. The term is often incorrectly believed to have some sort of relationship with the Indian caste system
, but the fact that children born to mixed Indian and British parentage were termed either Eurasian or Anglo-Indian
rather disproves this theory. It was in common usage, and considered an entirely acceptable adjective for people, from at least between the mid-19th century and mid-20th century. Today, the term is much more prominent in commonwealth countries than in the United States, possibly indicating that its usage came about after America's independence. Whether or not the term is offensive is a matter of considerable debate, and opinions vary throughout the Anglophone world.
In Australia, the term was historically used to describe the offspring of White colonists and the Aboriginal natives of the continent. It is immortalized in the Half-Caste Act
, whereby the Australian government could seize such children in order to, in theory, provide them with better homes than those afforded typical Aborigines. As a result of such questionable acts, and their association with the moniker, half-caste is nowadays deemed an offensive term in Australia. Further, the terms Aboriginal and Indigenous in the Australian context no longer require that a person described as such have a certain proportion of Indigenous heritage. Terms such as half-caste or part-Aboriginal are no longer considered politically correct
.
In today's United Kingdom, the term primarily applies to those of mixed Black and White parentage, but such was not always the case. In just about any area that fell under the crown's dominion, the term was made use of, and anyone of mixed Caucasian and conquered races could be properly described as being half-caste. As such, it did not necessarily carry any stigma with it. In Colonel Percy Fawcett's memoirs, written in the early 1900s, he describes Peruvian half-caste women (an admixture of indigenous Peruvians and Spanish conquistadors and colonists) in an entirely positive light, praising them for their beauty, poise, and dignity.
It is important to note that most imperial cultures devise terms for the mixed-race children of the conquering culture and the conquered culture. The Spanish devised a significantly more complicated system than did the English, consisting of Mulattoes, Mestizos, and many others; the French used terms such as Métis
, which is in common use today; and Americans have used myriad different terms, including the adoption of the Spanish Mulatto
, and the semi-mythical Jackson Whites and Melungeons.
Multiracial
The terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races. Unlike the term biracial, which often is only used to refer to having parents or grandparents of two different races, the term multiracial may encompass biracial people but can also include people with...
or ethnicity. Caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
comes from the Latin castus, meaning pure, and the derivative Portuguese and Spanish casta, meaning race. The term is often incorrectly believed to have some sort of relationship with the Indian caste system
Caste system in India
The Indian caste system is a system of social stratification and social restriction in India in which communities are defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary groups called Jātis....
, but the fact that children born to mixed Indian and British parentage were termed either Eurasian or Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...
rather disproves this theory. It was in common usage, and considered an entirely acceptable adjective for people, from at least between the mid-19th century and mid-20th century. Today, the term is much more prominent in commonwealth countries than in the United States, possibly indicating that its usage came about after America's independence. Whether or not the term is offensive is a matter of considerable debate, and opinions vary throughout the Anglophone world.
In Australia, the term was historically used to describe the offspring of White colonists and the Aboriginal natives of the continent. It is immortalized in the Half-Caste Act
Half-caste act
Half-Caste Act was the common name given to Acts of Parliament passed in Victoria and Western Australia in 1886. They became the model for legislation of Aboriginal communities throughout Australia, such as the Aboriginal Protection and restriction of the sale of opium act 1897 in...
, whereby the Australian government could seize such children in order to, in theory, provide them with better homes than those afforded typical Aborigines. As a result of such questionable acts, and their association with the moniker, half-caste is nowadays deemed an offensive term in Australia. Further, the terms Aboriginal and Indigenous in the Australian context no longer require that a person described as such have a certain proportion of Indigenous heritage. Terms such as half-caste or part-Aboriginal are no longer considered politically correct
Politically Correct
Politically Correct may refer to:*Political correctness, language, ideas, policies, or behaviour seeking to minimize offence to groups of people-See also:*Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, book by James Finn Garner, published in 1994...
.
In today's United Kingdom, the term primarily applies to those of mixed Black and White parentage, but such was not always the case. In just about any area that fell under the crown's dominion, the term was made use of, and anyone of mixed Caucasian and conquered races could be properly described as being half-caste. As such, it did not necessarily carry any stigma with it. In Colonel Percy Fawcett's memoirs, written in the early 1900s, he describes Peruvian half-caste women (an admixture of indigenous Peruvians and Spanish conquistadors and colonists) in an entirely positive light, praising them for their beauty, poise, and dignity.
It is important to note that most imperial cultures devise terms for the mixed-race children of the conquering culture and the conquered culture. The Spanish devised a significantly more complicated system than did the English, consisting of Mulattoes, Mestizos, and many others; the French used terms such as Métis
Métis
A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
, which is in common use today; and Americans have used myriad different terms, including the adoption of the Spanish Mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
, and the semi-mythical Jackson Whites and Melungeons.
See also
- CasteCasteCaste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
- Half Caste (poem)Half Caste (poem)Half-Caste is a poem by John Agard, which looks at people's ideas and usage of the word 'half-caste'. The poem is taken from Agard's 2005 collection of the same name, in which he explores a range of issues affecting black and mixed-race identity in the UK. Since 2002 the poem has been in the AQA...
- Mestee
- MétisMétisA Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
- MestizoMestizoMestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
- Mulattoes
- QuadroonQuadroonQuadroon, and the associated words octoroon and quintroon are terms that, historically, were applied to define the ancestry of people of mixed-race, generally of African and Caucasian ancestry, but also, within Australia, to those of Aboriginal and Caucasian ancestry...