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A Participatory Study of the Self-Identity of Kibei Nisei Men: a Sub Group of Second Generation Japanese American Men William T

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A Participatory Study of the Self-Identity of Kibei Nisei Men: a Sub Group of Second Generation Japanese American Men William T The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects 1993 A Participatory Study of the Self-Identity of Kibei Nisei Men: A Sub Group of Second Generation Japanese American Men William T. Masuda University of San Francisco Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/diss Part of the Asian American Studies Commons, Asian History Commons, Migration Studies Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Masuda, William T., "A Participatory Study of the Self-Identity of Kibei Nisei Men: A Sub Group of Second Generation Japanese American Men" (1993). Doctoral Dissertations. 472. https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/472 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The author of this thesis has agreed to make available to the University community and the public a copy of this thesis project. Unauthorized reproduction of any portion of this thesis is prohibited. The quality of this reproduction is contingent upon the quality of the original copy submitted. University of San Francisco Gleeson Library/Geschke Center 2130 Fulton Street San Francisco, CA 94117-1080 USA The University of San Francisco A PARTICIPATORY STUDY OF THE SELF-IDENTITY OF KIBEI NISEI MEN: A SUB GROUP OF SECOND GENERATION JAPANESE AMERICAN MEN A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty ofthe School ofEducation Counseling and Educational Psychology Program In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by William T. Masuda San Francisco, California May, 1993 L!J Self-Identity of Kibei Nisei Men 11 l('C/(; ( This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidates dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. Wit~ /.1r~~£~ 4r1 /t,114s Candidate ate Dissertation Committee ~;/_~if$ I~ Aynl J9~"L Self-Identity of Kibei Nisei Men lll To my daughter Ariya who remains "forever young" and whose spirit moves through this study Self-Identity of Kibei Nisei Men lV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my deepest gratitude to for all the thoughtful help I received from Dr. Alma Flor Ada, my dissertation advisor and the chairperson of my dissertation committee. This dissertation would not have been completed had it not been for her continuous encouragement and patience. I also wish to thank my other committee members, Dr. Emily Girault, my academic advisor, and Dr. Larry Palmatier. Their support, suggestions and comments have been invaluable. This study, of course, would not have been possible without the time and effort of the seven Kibei Nisei men who participated in this research. My special thanks go to each of them for their sincerity and cooperation for sharing their life experiences. I realize that recalling their past experiences were at times painful for them, but it was the revelation of that suffering that made this dialogic process more than an academic study. They allowed me to experience the meaning of the participatory research process itself. Words cannot truly express my heartfelt gratitude to my wife, Kiyo, for her amazing capacity to love, encourage, and support my effort and struggles throughout this doctoral program. The sudden death of our daughter, Ariya, during this doctoral program nearly caused me to leave it. But Kiyo's loving support and constant encouragement, within the face ofher own feelings of loss and grief, have allowed me to complete this dissertation. Self-Identity of Kibei Nisei Men v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. .iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... v CHAPTER I: THE PROBLEM .......................................................................................... 1 Background and Need for the Study .............................................................................. 1 Definitions ...................................................................................................................... 5 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................... 6 Theoretical Rationale ..................................................................................................... 8 Research Questions ...................................................................................................... 13 Questions to Guide the Dialogue ................................................................................. 14 Significance of the Study ............................................................................................. 15 Background of the Researcher ..................................................................................... 17 Delimitations of the Study ........................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ........................................................... 20 Traditional Japanese Values and Beliefs ..................................................................... 20 The Japanese American Experience in the United States ............................................ 27 Pre-World War II ................................................................................................... 27 Evacuation and Incarceration ................................................................................. 32 Post World War II .................................................................................................. 38 The Kibei Nisei ............................................................................................................ 39 Marginality ................................................................................................................... 45 Self-Identity ................................................................................................................. 49 Ego, Self and Identity ............................................................................................. 50 Summary ...................................................................................................................... 53 Self-Identity of Kibei Nisei Men Vl CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ......................................... , ........................................ 55 The Theoretical Rationale Underlying the Research ................................................... 56 The Role of Critical Consciousness ....................................................................... 57 The Role of Participatory Research ................ , ..................................................... 58 The Role of the Researcher .................................................................................... 60 Process for Data Collection.......................................................................................... 60 Contacting the Participants .......................................................................................... 61 Developing the Research Questions to Guide the Dialogue ........................................ 63 General Description of the Research Participants ........................................................ 64 Conducting the Initial Dialogue Sessions .................................................................... 72 Reviewing the Initial Dialogue Sessions ..................................................................... 73 Conducting the Follow-up Dialogue Sessions ............................................................. 74 Final Analysis ofthe Data ............................................................................................ 75 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS OF THE DIALOGUE SESSIONS ...................................... 76 Pre-World War II: Life in Japan ................................................................................. 77 Reasons for Going to Japan ................................................................................... 77 Death of a Parent. ............................................................................................. 77 Education......................................................................................................... 86 Childhood and Adolescence in Japan .................................................................... 87 School Life ....................................................................................................... 87 Relationship with Relatives ............................................................................. 95 CHAPTER V: PRE-WORLD WAR II: LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES .................... 99 Return and Life in the United States ............................................................................ 99 Reasons for Returning to the United States ..........................................................
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