Eurasian commonly describes a person whose family origins include both European and Asian ancestry. The term is also used to refer more specifically to someone with one parent generally identified as Caucasian and the other as Asian.
Uses and meanings
The label appears in different contexts. It can be an ethnic or cultural descriptor for people born into mixed European–Asian families, a social category created in particular historical settings, or a simple genealogical statement about parentage. Because meanings vary by place and time, individuals and communities may accept, reject, or qualify the term depending on local history and personal identity.
Regional terms and variations
- Some areas and languages have their own words for people of mixed European and Asian background. For example, in Hawaii the word hapa is commonly used to refer to people of mixed ethnic heritage.
- In former colonial societies across Asia, “Eurasian” historically described distinct communities formed by unions between European settlers and local populations; those communities developed particular cultural patterns and social roles.
Geographic sense
Beyond ancestry, "Eurasian" may be used in a geographic sense to mean inhabitants of the combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia or people living near the boundary between the two continents, such as the Ural region. When used this way it refers to location rather than mixed descent.