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Japan‟S Colonized Other: a Case Study of the Media Representations on the Deportation of a Filipino Family

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Japan‟S Colonized Other: a Case Study of the Media Representations on the Deportation of a Filipino Family JAPAN‟S COLONIZED OTHER: A CASE STUDY OF THE MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS ON THE DEPORTATION OF A FILIPINO FAMILY by Yuko Bessho A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Graduate Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Yuko Bessho (2010) JAPAN’S COLONIZED OTHER: A CASE STUDY OF THE MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS ON THE DEPORTATION OF A FILIPINO FAMILY Master of Arts 2010 Yuko Bessho Graduate Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning University of Toronto Abstract This research investigates Japanese society‟s gaze towards those former colonized subjects, who now reside in Japan as foreign residents. More specifically, it explores the representations, in two leading Japanese newspapers and a popular internet discussion board, of a Filipino family facing deportation in 2009. Using Foucault‟s archaeology of knowledge as the main analytical framework, it examines emergent and silenced discourses in each media. While the newspapers generally reported in favour of the family, they often unintentionally constructed the child as innocent, and the parents as illegal. The internet discussion board tended to depict the family as criminals. By silencing the colonial history between the Philippines and Japan, both media outlets have failed to address the continuing neo-colonial relationships between the two nations. In conclusion, the various implications of this research on the strategies advocating citizenship rights of irregular residents are examined, by applying anti-oppressive education frameworks to the research findings. ii Acknowledgements I wish to thank everyone who helped and supported me in writing this thesis. My deepest gratitude goes to Dr. Roland Sintos Coloma, who has supported and mentored me throughout my degree, while providing me with engaging, inspiring, and encouraging feedback for my project. You are my role model. I am also greatly indebted to Dr. Kathy Bickmore for her thoughtful comments and her “so what?” questions, which pushed me further. This thesis would not have been possible without the generous and engaging support from them. I have had the honour of having one of the best committees possible, and wish I knew how to adequately express my deep gratitude to them. I am especially grateful for my family, who first led me to think about international migration issues, and encouraged me in pursing my degree in Canada. I would also like to thank Leanne Tonkin for her editing. Lastly, I wish to thank everyone who I met during my wonderful and exciting learning journey at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and in Canada. I am sincerely grateful that I was able to meet each and every one of you. iii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 Contributions of the Research ..........................................................................................3 The Calderon Family .......................................................................................................5 Special Permit to Stay in Japan (zairyu tokubetsu kyoka) ...............................................8 The Calderon Family and the New Immigration System ................................................8 Background and Position ...............................................................................................10 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................12 Japanese Policies Towards Foreign Residents ...............................................................12 The first era: Colonial period. ....................................................................................13 The second era: End of WWII to 1980s. ....................................................................15 The third era: Diversification of foreigners. ..............................................................16 The fourth era: Towards settlement? .........................................................................19 Filipino-Japanese Relations ...........................................................................................21 Representations of Filipinos in Japan ............................................................................24 Literature on the Calderon Family Case ........................................................................26 Chapter 3: Analytical and Inter/Disciplinary Frameworks ................................................28 Discourse Analysis.........................................................................................................28 How are Foreigners Conceptualized? ............................................................................30 Framework #1: Contemporary citizenship. ................................................................30 Framework #2: Nationalism. .....................................................................................33 Framework #3: Historical legacies of colonialism. ...................................................36 Internet as a Public Sphere? ...........................................................................................37 Anti-Oppressive Education Frameworks and Advocacy ...............................................39 Chapter 4: Data Collection and Methodology ...................................................................44 iv Data Collection ..............................................................................................................44 Methodology ..................................................................................................................46 Chapter 5: Newspaper Analysis .........................................................................................52 Common Themes in the Newspapers ............................................................................53 Theme #1: An Innocent Daughter and the Deceitful Parents ........................................54 Theme #2: Culturally Japanese Noriko ..........................................................................56 Theme #3: Tensions between the Best Interests of the Child versus the Enforcement of Immigration Law ...........................................................................................................58 Differences Between the Newspapers ...........................................................................60 Chapter 6: Discourses in the Internet Discussion Board, 2 channel ..................................66 Data Presentation ...........................................................................................................66 Theme #1: The Rejection of the Family and the Supporters .........................................69 Theme #2: Comparison of the Japanese, Philippine and South Korean Governments .71 Theme #3: The Mass Media Cannot be Trusted ............................................................76 Theme #4: The Proposal for Actual Actions .................................................................77 Trustworthiness of the 2 channel Discourses ................................................................79 2 channel Discourses as Subjugated Knowledge? .........................................................82 Chapter 7: The Domains of Silence ...................................................................................85 Comparison of the Major Themes in Newspapers and an Internet Discussion Board ..85 Theme #1: The Family‟s Illegality ................................................................................88 Theme #2: Absence of the Mother.................................................................................90 Theme #3: Where is the Philippines? ............................................................................92 Chapter 8: Conclusions and Implications ..........................................................................96 Implications for Citizenship Policy ...............................................................................97 Implications for Advocacy Work Using Mass Media ...................................................98 Focus on children. ......................................................................................................98 Silencing of illegality. ..............................................................................................100 v Advocacy work. .......................................................................................................101 References ........................................................................................................................106 List of Tables Table 1. Timeline of Events Table 2. Numbers of Articles in Each Newspaper List of Figures Figure 1. The Number of Articles in Each Newspaper Figure 2. Mechanism of Family Representation Figure 3. Postings on the International News Section about the Calderon Family List of Appendices Appendix A. Glossary Appendix B. Comparison of Calderon Family Events and the Movements in the New Immigration System vi Introduction My master‟s thesis addresses the broad themes of
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