Journal of Public Health | pp.
1–2
Correspondence
The notion of Kapwa amid Asian hate
ABSTRACT
In a letter to the editor, the author has expressed how a Chinese notion of ren is a powerful tool to negate the stigma of racial discrimination
among Asian people. I would argue that within the Filipino psyche, the notion of kapwa or “shared self” can be an equivalent socio-normative
ideal that can be utilized towards not just countering the ill effects of social discrimination but also fostering deep communal and group
solidarity among people, regardless of race, color and ethnicity.
Keywords racial discrimination, pandemic, Covid-19, communal healing
To the Editor
Balingue proposes in earlier correspondence the Confucian
concept of ren as a cultural parallel to the notion of solidarity
which is argued by the author as a powerful counter-response
to the emerging social and racial discrimination against the
Chinese people and those of Asian descent specifically dur-
ing the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.1 He believes that
embedding the social response within the cultural framework
of a Confucian ideal can easily facilitate communal solidarity
among everyone, especially among the Chinese people. While
Chinese individuals have reported more hate incidents com-
pared to other Asian Americans in the USA, Filipinos have
also been a target of assault and harassment. In a national
report by the organization Stop AAPI Hate, about 65.2% of
the reported incidents between March 2020 and March 2021
are of verbal harassment or name-calling and most of these
take place in public streets and parks.2 There were reports of
a Filipino journalist who was verbally harassed in a New York
subway3 ; a physical assault involving a 61-year old Filipino
in a Manhattan subway; and a 65-year old Filipina who was
repeatedly kicked and stomped on her face.4 The rise of Asian
Hate-related assaults has already been tagged as a “secondary
contagion.”5
Within Filipino (indigenous) psychology is a concept called,
“kapwa,” which is roughly translated as the “other.” However,
its more nuanced translation is a “shared self ” where the very
essence of self is tied up with others in an inclusive way. “By
default, the dispositional intention of kapwa is to connect,
relate, and share.”6 It tends to see the person beyond his/her
social roles and status; whether or not the kapwa is an Asian or
an American, or rich or poor, but fundamentally as a human
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person. To see the other not as different but as an essential
extension or reflection of oneself allows a more communal-
oriented disposition that values more the spirit of oneness
and connectedness rather than differences and social/racial
hierarchy.
As researches have shown a significant link between anti-
Asian discrimination to increased levels of anxiety, depression
and sleep problems,7 it is important to create an ambiance of
social connectedness not only within the Asian community
but also even across all races and ethnicities. One of the
identified strategies to address this problem is to invest in
community-based efforts that will create, develop and increase
awareness on the stigma of hate crimes to its victims, par-
ticularly on their mental health and wellness.8 By infusing a
strong kapwa paradigm in any community-based approaches,
Filipinos and other ethnicities may look at one another not by
hate or through it but by care, compassion, and solidarity with
and among them. Any attempt to nurture social connected-
ness by treating the other not as entirely different from the self
but as an extended self or a shared self allows an ambiance
of communion which is essential towards communal recovery
and healing.
Conflict of interest
The author declares no conflict of interest in this paper.
Acknowledgement
No funding was received for this paper.
1
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Willard Enrique R. Macaraan
Theology and Religious Education Department, De La Salle
University, 1004 Manila, Philippines
Address correspondence to Willard Enrique R. Macaraan,
E-mail: willard.macaraan@dlsu.edu.ph.
doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdab268