Date of Award
2000
Degree Name
Sociology
College
College of Liberal Arts
Type of Degree
M.A.
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Lynda A. Ewen
Second Advisor
Leonard J. Deutsch
Abstract
This qualitative study analyzes the acculturation and assimilation of Japanese war brides into Appalachia. Although the Japanese female immigrants have lived in Appalachia for many years, their life experiences have been ignored by academia in Appalachian studies. A purpose of this study is to advance the understanding what social mechanisms impact the assimilation of the Japanese war brides and what it means for them to live in this society. By using oral history with open-ended questions, data is gathered from in-depth interviews with four Japanese war brides. The study finds retention of ethnic identity, recovery of cultural heritage, and social exclusion. These findings are interpreted as a consequence of intersecting oppression of ethnicity and gender socialization of the women in regards to assimilation process.
Subject(s)
Japanese – Cultural assimilation.
Assimilation (Sociology).
Acculturation.
War brides – Social aspects – Appalachian Region.
Recommended Citation
Kondo, Kyoko, "Experiences of Japanese war brides and assimilation into Appalachia: understanding the intersection of ethnicity and gender" (2000). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 1689.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/1689
