Sandy Stevens

Through my zine, Pagkakakilanlan, I bring together my research from Integrative Seminar II with the Bridge Four assignment in Integrative Studio II. In this project, I examine pre-colonial Filipino culture, the impacts of American colonialism and imperialism, and my own familial history through a lens of unfamiliarity. This perspective reflects my lived experience as a mixed-race American, where my connection to my heritage often feels distant and learned rather than innate. By positioning myself as both participant and outsider, I explore the tension of having to actively “learn” my identity instead of feeling inherently rooted in it. The zine combines found imagery with personal family photographs to note different moments across Filipino history, considering how these layered narratives culminate in my present sense of self. Handwritten notes appear throughout the pages, written from the perspective of my younger self encountering my mother’s culture for the first time. I incorporate visual references such as Baybayin text, depictions of pre-colonial practices, including a Bagobo man with filed and blackened teeth, and archival images illustrating American imperial influence, such as a photo entitled “American Soldier with his Mixed- Race Baby.” Many of these images were also central to my final research paper, where they functioned as components of a visual essay.