Waseda University Doctoral Student Network
WUDSN
December’s featured speakers「US News Media Representation of「Brazilians in Japan:

Economic Integration

Identity Redefining Processes andMedia Representations

between China and Japan」
Troy Knudson

Pauline Cherrier

Waseda University GSAPSPhD Student in International Studies
Research Assistantat the Global Institute for Asian Regional Integration

the University of Lyon
PhD Student in Political Sciences
Monbukagakusho Research Student
at Musashi Daigaku

Abstract
When investigating the impacts of regional integration, it is important not to neglect how the process affects non-regional countries, especially those with interests in the given region. For Northeast Asia, one ofmany non-regional countries with such an interest is theUnited States. Given the importance of Northeast Asia tothe US, we could expect changes brought about by regional integration, in the relationships between regionalcountries and the subsequent ramifications for the US,
to be reported on in the US news media. This study employs a longitudinal (2002-2006) analysis of economicsrelated articles written about China and Japan in theNew York Times. Assuming that China and Japan became more integrated economically over this time period, the aim of the study is to assess 1) how the relationships between the two countries are shown to havechanged, and 2) what consequences and opportunities
for the US appear as a result of these changes. Implications for how the US news media might continue to portray integration between the two countries and the impact this portrayal might have on mechanisms of US
regional behavior are also considered.

If transnational migrants can be seen as taking part in aworld economically globalized, thus in some cases forming new transnational elites, an important part of them do
not benefit from this privileged status. The case of Japanese Brazilians, who have been migrating towards Japan
since the early 1990’s, exemplifies this phenomenon:
while some of them are managing to define themselves as
first class travelers, or transnational business owners, theothers, most of them being dekassegui (unqualified temporary workers) find themselves caught in an « inbetween » causing them to constantly move back andforth from Japan to Brazil although only seeing themselves as Brazilians. This presentation aims to show how,in the case of Japanese Brazilians, the question of political identity has been, from the start (the modification of
the Japanese immigration law in 1990), at the core of theirmigration: it is indeed likely that the way they define
themselves as transnational migrants or Brazilians on the
return or again Brazilians living and working in Japan,etc., and are being defined by the media and the politicalauthorities of both countries will influence the future of
the Brazilian community living in Japan. This will allow us
to examine the role played by the ethnic Portuguesewritten media both from the Brazilian and the Japaneseside in this identity redefining process and to show how it
somewhat serves the economic and political interests ofthe states. While emphasis is very often put on culturaldifferences, each part representing the other as radicallydifferent, the emergence of Japanese-Brazilian cultural
productions allowing cultural borders to be crossed questions these representations and emphasizes the influenceof this Japanese experience on migrants’ identity.

日時 ：2007年 12月 11日（火） 午後 5時〜7時
Date ：
Tuesday December 11
17：00〜19：00
会場 ：西早稲田 ビル 19号館
710号室
Venue ：
Sodai-Nishiwaseda Bldg 19 Room 710
使用言語 / Language ： 英語 / English
主催 / Organized by ： WUDSN
協力 / Supported by ： GIARI
申込不要、自由入場 / Open to public, Free of charge
For more info, Please See website.

http://www.waseda.jp/gsaps/WUDSN/2index.htm