Looking alike does not necessarily constitute a community

Evidence

At the airport, Birdie explains to the “Indian” man that she is “American,” and that her parents are black and white. After her clarification, the man’s expression, “changed slightly. I had disappointed him, deeply. He had been homesick and had seen his home in my face. Now he turned away, no longer interested” (Senna, 1988:323). Birdie’s explanation seems parenthetical. This initial racial association indicates a search for a home pointing to multiple geographies that nonetheless lack a specificity or materiality behind that ethnoracial identifier. Looking alike, in other words, does not necessarily constitute a community. — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 2501

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Extends the grafting/identity theme of ‘Grafting & Growth’ in that racial identity likewise grafts appearances onto communities that may not bear weight.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 2501