Tesfaye, Hana

Love of Three Eras: “Ethiopian Historical Interracial Relationships”

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Major: Graphic Design

Minor: Animation & Psychology

Junior, College of Computing and Digital Media

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Abstract

This research paper explores true historical events told through a fictional narrative of a girl living in America who tries to uncover what her identity means to her. Furthermore, she ascertains the impact efforts of colonization had on her and her country Ethiopia. The main character decides that she must go back to her roots in Ethiopia and interview various family members to understand how the historical events that took place in 1930, 1943, and 1993 contributed to her Japanese, American, and Eritrean aspects of her identity. In her discoveries, she learns of the interracial relationships that were shaped by the surrounding events that took place in these years. Discovering that she was not purely Ethiopian as she always thought she was made her reflect on how she defines her identity as well as how it defines her. The culmination of research in history and family background allowed the main character to unpack her lineage and understand the struggles and triumphs her family faced all adding up to her and her existence.

Course: Honors 301

Honors Junior Seminar in Multiculturalism: Crossing Borders: Identity and Nation

Professor: Dr. Carolyn Goffman

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences