SINHAS Vol 31 No 1 Binit Gurung
National Belonging among Nepalis in Japan
Binit Gurung
Abstract
The article investigates national belonging among Nepalis in Japan, focusing on Nepali parents in the Greater Tokyo Area. Drawing on a conceptual framework rooted in nationalism studies and a selection of semi-structured interviews conducted with 63 Nepalis between March 2023 and April 2024, it reveals three aspects constitutive of their national belonging: 1) their perceived differences with the host population in terms of Japanese individualism and Nepali collectivism, 2) their adaptation to Japan accompanied by the valorization of their Nepali identity in view of the practicalities of life and the inaccessibility of Japaneseness, and 3) their negotiation of Nepaliness using a racial discourse and imagination with regard to their childrearing experiences in Japan. The study has a clear broader implication. It demonstrates that parenthood, as a major stage of the normative life course, has a significant and distinct bearing on national belonging among migrants. It suggests that national belonging among migrants is more productively studied by considering not only the social experiences of migrants in their host country and its dominant discourse of nationalism, but also their life course. It thus calls for increased life course sensitivity in nationalism studies.
Keywords: National belonging, Nepal, Japan, Nepaliness, Japaneseness, parenthood, life course, migration
National Belonging among Nepalis in Japan
Binit Gurung
Abstract
The article investigates national belonging among Nepalis in Japan, focusing on Nepali parents in the Greater Tokyo Area. Drawing on a conceptual framework rooted in nationalism studies and a selection of semi-structured interviews conducted with 63 Nepalis between March 2023 and April 2024, it reveals three aspects constitutive of their national belonging: 1) their perceived differences with the host population in terms of Japanese individualism and Nepali collectivism, 2) their adaptation to Japan accompanied by the valorization of their Nepali identity in view of the practicalities of life and the inaccessibility of Japaneseness, and 3) their negotiation of Nepaliness using a racial discourse and imagination with regard to their childrearing experiences in Japan. The study has a clear broader implication. It demonstrates that parenthood, as a major stage of the normative life course, has a significant and distinct bearing on national belonging among migrants. It suggests that national belonging among migrants is more productively studied by considering not only the social experiences of migrants in their host country and its dominant discourse of nationalism, but also their life course. It thus calls for increased life course sensitivity in nationalism studies.
Keywords: National belonging, Nepal, Japan, Nepaliness, Japaneseness, parenthood, life course, migration