Best, Maya
(2020)
A piece of Bengal in Japan: the intercultural relationships between Bengalis and Japanese in Tokyo.
Undergraduate Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
With the decrease in birth rate and rise in the elderly population, there is a great need for foreign labor in Japan. However, Japan’s strict and temporary immigration policies have made it very difficult for refugees to be granted asylum status or for working-class immigrants to settle in Japan. This research offers a qualitative exploration of instances of effective integration of Bengali migrants—from Bangladesh and West Bengal, India—into Japanese society, coming for economic and asylum related purposes. I examine examples of migrants who have been able to fulfill economic needs while also introducing new artforms and practices to Japan, strengthening intercultural relationships in ways that native Japanese appreciate and even emulate. Using ethnographic participant observation and in-person interviews, this research reveals how Bengalis have recreated feelings of "home" and "belonging" through culture exchange venues such as food industries, artforms, and language.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
4 May 2020 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
16 March 2020 |
| Approval Date: |
4 May 2020 |
| Submission Date: |
16 April 2020 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
129 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
David C. Frederick Honors College
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Anthropology |
| Degree: |
BPhil - Bachelor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Undergraduate Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
diaspora, migration, home, displacement, Bengali, Bangladeshi, Japanese, Tokyo, immigration policy, Japan, Bengal, Bangla, Bangladesh, mixed-race, cultural exchange, intercultural, emulation, migrant worker, citizenship, nationality, race, |
| Date Deposited: |
04 May 2020 14:49 |
| Last Modified: |
04 May 2020 14:49 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/38715 |
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