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Chinese Women in Japan : E X Plorin G La Y Ered Identities in the Diaspora

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Chinese Women in Japan : E X Plorin G La Y Ered Identities in the Diaspora BURCH FELLOW 2007 chinese women in japan : E X plorin G la Y ered IDENTITIES IN THE DIASPORA I set off to Tokyo, Japan to But the majority of these Chinese living in Japan are planning interview Chinese immigrant women still firmly considered their their futures. women living in Japan about how nationality immutable. Keisei, for Many people I interviewed they felt their identities as women instance, was unwilling to exchange spoke not only to the experience LIZ CARTER and Chinese affected how they her Chinese passport for Japanese of Chinese women in Japan but Class of 2008 were treated in Japanese society. I citizenship despite her marriage, also the experience of being an Charlotte, NC had become interested in this for career, child, and every intention to outsider. About half of the people a few reasons. I had always been remain in Japan indefinitely. I asked I interviewed spoke of an invisible interested in feminism, and my her why and she barrier they y Burch Carter Liz major is Chinese. Last year I spent gave me several felt between the summer interning for the Maple reasons. Firstly, themselves and experience Women’s Psychological Counseling she stated she their Japanese M began when Center, Beijing, and became very was Chinese. friends. They interested in Chinese feminism. There was attributed it I stepped off of the Much of what had gone on in recent no qualifying to a cultural train from the airport Chinese history sets the nation’s factor: here expectation at Kashiwa, Japan and society and culture apart from nationality of privacy surrounding Asian nations such as was tied to in Japanese met my host mother, Japan, Korea, and even Taiwan. her identity at society that Keisei. Keisei was born I wanted to examine just how the most basic was not present differently issues of gender equality level. American in Chinese and grew up in Shanghai, were treated in Japan as opposed to citizens may have a harder time society, but some of the others attended college in Japan, China, so I decided to ask the people understanding this because ours is felt it was more universal, similar I thought would know – Chinese more so nation of immigrants, but to the biblical experience of the and currently works women living in Japan. Keisei and others felt that giving up “stranger in a strange land.” While as an accountant at an My experience began slowly. Chinese citizenship would be a kind there are some universal aspects American company based I adjusted to jet lag and began to of betrayal of their identity. of their experiences, the individual become acquainted with the culture. I interviewed students as well characteristics tell a lot about the in Japan. She is married to Living with a host family was ideal as career women. The students I contexts and backgrounds of the a Japanese man and has for this. I ate home cooked Japanese talked to were more ambivalent interviewees. and Chinese food and had patient about Japan, and had not decided Documenting these varied a two year old daughter. friends who were ready to help me whether they would remain in experiences helped me get a better Throughout my time in with any questions I had about Japan or return to China. Some also grasp of how Chinese women felt anything. Once I began my research, voiced concerns about economic about their surroundings, but it also Japan, Keisei helped to Keisei was instrumental in helping opportunities. This generation was gave me a small taste of how those guide me both through the me get started with my research. I more deterred by the problems surroundings, Japanese society, ins and outs of living in interviewed her and she introduced Japan had faced since the Bubble felt about them. Living with a home me to several of her friends who had stay not only helped me get a taste Japan as an outsider, and come to Japan for similar reasons: of Japanese food, but helped me in my research. higher education, opportunities, and improve my Japanese as well. The work. language immersion brought me CONTINUED On one occasion I was able closer to Japanese society while I to observe the was examining Chinese perceptions opening of a foreign of it. Compared to China, Japan is a languages school. much more economically developed The headmistress and strictly ordered society. Chinese was also a Chinese economy society is more casual, along the immigrant living burst. The lines of American society. Though long-term in Japan. pessimism and these are sweeping generalizations, She made her living social unease they are generalizations that most JAPAN teaching Chinese. about this Chinese and Japanese I met made. Keisei introduced event sharply I hope that someday when my me and I was able contrasts with Japanese language skills are more to talk to her about the unqualified fluent I will be able to explore how she felt about capitalist the differences from another living Japan. I was surprised that optimism. At the same time, China’s perspective, perhaps by interviewing although anti-Japanese sentiment economy has developed rapidly Japanese women living abroad in is rampant in mainland China, since the economic reforms of the China. I hope that by documenting some Chinese I met in Japan had eighties. This changing economic these experiences I can spread Tokyo very high opinions about Japanese dynamic probably accounts for some awareness about feminism in Asia people, the government, and society of the discrepancies between how and its diversity. at large. the older and younger generations of .
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