“Maybe One Day I Will also be Almito”: Ethiopian Israelis, Naming, and the Politics of Immigrant Identity

Abstract

The issue of name change, and in particular name reclaiming (i.e., taking back a heritage name), among immigrants has been rarely studied academically, despite its centrality to immigrant identity and immigration experiences. Immigrants, in many countries, are often encouraged or pressured to change their names, but in recent years, some have chosen to reclaim their heritage or original names. This article analyzes the practice of name reclaiming among young Israelis of Ethiopian heritage, a community that has experienced racial discrimination. Data were gathered through a qualitative phenomenological study of 19 young adults who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia as minors. The analysis yielded two simultaneous dialogues: an internal dialogue in which individuals described their personal experience of name reclaiming and an external dialogue in which name reclaiming reflected a political and social process through which a discriminated minority could express increased feelings of power and agency. The results enrich the study of migration by showing the ways in which personal and social-political processes experienced by a discriminated minority intertwine, as vividly illustrated by the specific case of name reclaiming.

Giving Them a Choice: Qualitative Research Participants Chosen Pseudonyms as a Reflection of Self-Identity

“…Moreover, according to Watzlawik et al (2012), drawing on the semiotic prism model, a person’s name has a dynamic meaning that allows him to re-negotiate his identity at any point in life. Walsh and Yakhnich (2020, p. 891) suggest that names bridge cultures and identities. In the current study, the desire to become one with the new society and gain a sense of belonging led many of the participants to choose an Israeli pseudonym: a name they can sympathize with and re-negotiate to refine their identity declaration in the research context.…”

“…Specifically, as relates to this study, little research has examined how the participants’ choice of a pseudonym can teach us something about identity processes. This issue is particularly salient in the case of immigrant participants, many of whom may have experienced name change following immigration (Walsh & Yakhnich, 2020).…”

“…For members of Israel’s Ethiopian community, the name change is a symbol of cultural disappearance, of an attempt to create a melting pot within Jewish society (Davidovitch & Aylin, 2020). Most Ethiopian names contain meanings that reflect the child’s birth circumstances and socioeconomic or political imperatives that influenced the immigrant family and the wider system (Anteby, 1999; Walsh & Yakhnich, 2020).…”

“…Research shows that people with unique names suffer from low adjustment abilities and other social difficulties (Busse & Seraydarian, 1978, 1979Garwood, 1976;Zweigenhaft, 1977). However, findings show that those who declare loving their name report higher scores of wellbeing (Gist & Wright, 1973;Kang, 1971;Walsh & Yakhnich, 2020). Names can also signify ethnic identity (Alia, 1994;Lieberson, 2000;Lieberson & Bell, 1992;Mateos, 2007;Miller, 1996).…”

“…The issue of name changing is complex and sensitive, and has often been the manifestation of cultural hegemony of a majority group, especially following immigration (Fermaglich, 2018). Name changing can involve the coercion of a minority or immigrant group to assimilate within the majority cultural and the giving of a name by the dominant culture can be considered a form of rejection of the cultural origins of the minority group (Tummala-Narra, 2016;Walsh & Yakhnich, 2020). Yet interestingly, although much qualitative research involves the interviewing of minority or vulnerable populations by a member of the more dominant, powerful population (e.g., researchers), the issue of pseudonyms has been little addressed within the perspective of cultural power relations.…”