departmental bulletin paper

Departmental Bulletin Paper

Text

大阪大学大学院人間科学研究科紀要. 2025, 51, p. 1-25

Japanese

Text

2025-03-18

This study is based on six years of fieldwork in Fukushima, that was initially motivated by an interest in understanding the experiences of local Chinese residents following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. During this research, the authors encountered a group of middle-aged women from Northeast China who had immigrated to Fukushima through intermarriage with local Japanese men and had been residing there since the late 1990s and the early 2000s. These women explored their individual memories of Manchukuo under the dominant national post-war narratives of the 1960s and 70s, and later faced the collapse of the “Industrial Danwei System” during the 1980s and 90s ― a period of massive transformation and social upheaval in Tohoku （Northeast） China. In response to these shifting conditions, they sought stability by marrying into Japanʼs Tohoku region, envisioning Japan as an “advanced nation.” However, after migration, they encountered various linguistic and social challenges that were exacerbated by the 3/11 disaster. A notable observation is that despite the layered hardships these women experienced, they chose to remain in Fukushima, sustaining their livelihoods by establishing mutual local support networks after the 3/11 disaster. As the research progressed, it became clear that their narratives are not merely stories of survival, but also of “historically-tied life experiences,” shaped by encounters with legacies of Manchukuo history both in China and Japan. Through long-term engagement with these women, it is gradually revealed how their lives have been deeply influenced by the transregional historical contexts of the “Two Tohokus.” Furthermore, their interactions with local elderly residents in Fukushima enabled them to reconnect with the historical legacies of “Two Tohokus,” thereby bridging the two regions through their everyday practices. Based on the complex realities revealed through fieldwork, a review of existing studies on intermarriages suggests that, while these prior studies have provided significant insights, some tend to focus predominantly on womenʼs experiences in the host society, neglecting to capture the significance of their transregional experiences, particularly the unique historical and regional contexts that influence their choices and lived realities. Recognizing this gap, this paper proposes an alternative analytical perspective that situates these womenʼs lives within the “Two Tohokus” ― a multi-layered historical context, using the concept of “historical practice” proposed by historian Minoru Hokari. Furthermore, by adopting a life story methodology grounded in a dialogical constructionist approach introduced by sociologist Atsushi Sakurai, this study explores how the key concept of “historical practice” can deepen our understanding of womenʼs transnational migration experiences. Ultimately, this study highlights the potential of putting the focus of the life story methodology on historical practices to capture the depth and complexity of migration experiences. This paper also presents previously unseen insights into the migrant womenʼs experiences that have progressively emerged through dialogic interviews. Moreover, engaging in prolonged and reflexive interactions enabled the authors to critically recognize the limitations of their own perspectives, that were shaped by differences in regionality, generational background, and societal contexts. This reflexive awareness provided an opportunity to approach the womenʼs life-worlds more profoundly, thereby gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the reasons why they chose to remain and live between the “Two Tohokus.”

10.18910/100815

100815

日中「二つの東北」を生きる結婚移民の女性たち : ライフストーリー法から拓かれていく「歴史実践」

大阪大学大学院人間科学研究科

Japanese

2025-03-18

大阪大学大学院人間科学研究科紀要

51

1

25

https://hdl.handle.net/11094/100815

10.18910/100815

https://doi.org/10.18910/100815