UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Hoops, History, and Crossing Over: Boundary Making and Community Building in Japanese American Youth Basketball Leagues A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology by Christina B. Chin 2012 Copyright by Christina B. Chin 2012 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Hoops, History, and Crossing Over: Boundary Making and Community Building in Japanese American Youth Basketball Leagues by Christina B. Chin Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology University of California, Los Angeles, 2012 Professor Min Zhou, Chair My dissertation research examines how cultural organizations, particularly ethnic sports leagues, shape racial/ethnic and gender identity and community building among later-generation Japanese Americans. I focus my study on community-organized youth basketball leagues - a cultural outlet that spans several generations and continues to have a lasting influence within the Japanese American community. Using data from participant observation and in-depth interviews collected over two years, I investigate how Japanese American youth basketball leagues are active sites for the individual, collective, and institutional negations of racial, ethnic, and gendered categories within this group. Offering a critique of traditional assimilation theorists who argue the decline of racial and ethnic distinctiveness as a group assimilates, my findings demonstrate how race and ethnic meanings continue to shape the lives of later-generation Japanese American, particularly in sporting worlds. I also explain why assimilated Japanese ii Americans continue to seek co-ethnic social spaces and maintain strict racial boundaries that keep out non-Asian players. Because Asians are both raced and gendered simultaneously, I examine how sports participation differs along gendered lines and how members collaboratively “do gender” that both reinforce and challenge traditional hegemonic notions of masculinity and femininity. Although basketball is generally considered a male-dominated sport, I also offer several possible factors to explain the surprising trend of “successful” female Japanese American basketball players. Finally, my research examines the role that basketball leagues play in providing outlets and opportunities through social networking and civic engagement to create and strengthen ethnic cohesion and membership. Findings from this case study offer larger theoretical implications for the study of race, ethnicity, immigration, and sports. Recognizing that assimilation pathways for incorporation are not often a continuous and irreversible “straight-line,” this study uses youth culture-centered approach to map the different incorporation outcomes and pathways among later-generation Asian American youth. Adding to existing models of how racial and ethnic identities are forged and can shift over time, my dissertation highlights the strategies among later-generation Japanese Americans use to maintain and redefine boundary lines. Moreover, findings demonstrate how in the absence of a traditional ethnic enclave or a continuous flow of recent immigration, some Japanese Americans have turned to basketball leagues as a moving, shifting, and evolving source for ethnic community building. Finally, my dissertation expands the discourse of sports analysis by going beyond the white-black, male dominated discussions to explore how generations of male and female Japanese Americans have carved out their own ethnic and cultural space through basketball. iii The dissertation of Christina B. Chin is approved. Mignon Moore Mark Sawyer Stefan Timmermans Min Zhou, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2012 iv For my Mom who always believed in me. v Table of Contents Abstract………………………………………………………………………………….…..ii List of Tables………………………………………………………………………………..vii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………....xii Vita………………………………………………………………………………………… xiii Chapter 1: Introduction: Theoretical Frameworks and Studying Japanese American Youth Sports Leagues……………….…………………………………………1 Chapter 2: A Court of Their Own: Historical Roots and the Tale of Two Founding Fathers …………………………………………………………………………34 Chapter 3: Hooping it Up “JA” Style: Constructing Racial and Ethnic Identities and Boundaries …………………………………………….….……………………47 Chapter 4: “Asian boys can jump – and so can the girls!”: Gender Dynamics and the Curious Case of the JA Female “Baller”……………………………………….78 Chapter 5: “We’ve got Team Spirit!”: Social Networking and Ethnic Community Building……………………………………….………………………………..102 Chapter 6: Conclusion: Summary and Theoretic Contributions…………………………...124 References…………………………………………………….……………………….………..132 vi List of Tables Table 3.1: Structural and Cultural Gatekeeping Strategies…………………………….77 Table 4.1: Contributing Factors for Grater Female Success Outside the League….…..100 Table 5.1: Summary of Social Networks within Japanese American Leagues….….….122 vii Acknowledgements Throughout my graduate journey, I have walked this long, and windy path with several organizations, communities, and individuals along my side. It is because of them I was able to cross the finish line. First, I am deeply indebted to the PCY organization who opened up their courts, homes, and lives so this dissertation could find its voice. They were generous with both their time and willingness to share with me their lived experience. I am especially grateful to the PCY board members, particularly Kathy and Andrew who “vouched” for me and helped connect me with coaches, teams, and families. Without their support or trust in my project, and me this dissertation would not be what it is today. I am especially grateful for the invaluable mentorship and guidance I have received at UCLA. There are several faculty members from the Department of Sociology who have inspired and shaped my graduate career, including David Halle, Bob Emerson, Jack Katz, and Bill Roy. Wendy Fujinami, Mary Jo Johnson, and Marlies Dietrich were always willing to answer my questions and help me navigate through the program. My committee members have provided endless guidance and support through every stage of my research process. Stefan Timmermans offered invaluable feedback about my research, inspiring me to become a better ethnographer. I am thankful for Mignon Moore for her professional mentorship, often sharing her knowledge and experience with me and other female students of color. I thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with Mark Sawyer about race, sports, and politics; I always walked out of his office feeling reenergized about my work. Finally, I am especially grateful to Min Zhou who has been my advisor since the beginning of my graduate education. Even with her hectic schedule, Min was always generous with her time, constructive feedback, and extensive knowledge. I feel blessed viii and fortunate to have her endless support and I owe much of my progress and scholarly success due to her guidance. I also feel thankful that I could be part of several organizations on campus where I served as both a teacher and mentor to so many motivated, talented, and critically-minded students. At the Center for Community Learning, Kathy O’Byrne and Jamila Leaks Chaney made it possible for me to help students become more civically engaged and conduct hands-on research as ethnographers. Jeff Decker, Vilma Ortiz, and Brenda Stevenson created a safe space for collaborative teaching. I would like to especially acknowledge the Graduate Mentor Programs Office, especially the McNair Scholars Program, for providing me an outlet to pursue avenues of social justice and help “transform the academy.” As mentors, leaders, and friends, LaTonya Reese Miles, Orlando Luna, and Alice Ho made GMP a second home for me on campus. Other GMP mentors and staff – Anna Alvez, Ana Soltero Lopez, Pedro Nava, Aresha Martinez, Mark Bautista, Antonio Martinez, and Jelani Lindsey – filled the office with much needed support and of course, laughter. I have also been fortunate to have received financial support from many organizations in the form of grants and fellowships. I would like to thank the following organizations for believing in the value of my work: the UCLA Department of Sociology, the UCLA Graduate Division, the UCLA Center for Community Learning, the UCLA Center for the Study of Women, the UCLA Institute of Industrial Relations, The UCLA Asian American Studies Center – Aratani CARE, the Asian American Justice Center, and the National Asian Pacific Legal Consortium. One of the highlights of my graduate experience has been meeting so many dear friends in academia. As fellow scholars, educators, and activist, they have provided me strength, ix support, inspiration, and love at every corner. Paving an amazing path for me to follow, I am grateful for the mentorship from Leisy Abrego, Veronica Terriquez, Margot Jackson, and Meera Deo. I am thankful for Nancy Yuen, Faustina DuCros, and Christi Sue who provided a safe space to share my work and for their invaluable feedback, both virtually and in person. Jennifer Garcia, Laura Orrico, Stacey Green, Lupe Escobar, Cory Gooding, and Raul Moreno were the “dream team” of teaching fellows who provided constant support, laughter, and teaching wisdom. I am especially fond of all the memories, snacks, caffeinate beverages, power outlets, and free-internet I shared with my fellow café-hoppers – Denise Pacheco, Dimpal Jain, Angela, Chen, Tracy Buenavista, Ifeoma Amah, Fanny Yeung, Arshad Ali, David Maldonado, Sylvia Zamora,