Transfiguring identity: Social relationships and intercultural communication between foreign “children” and Japanese “parents”

ABSTRACT

This paper examines how intercultural communication and interpersonal relationships between Japanese “parents” and African “children” are capable of destabilizing status quo notions of identification. Using qualitative ethnographic data, this paper demonstrates how intercultural interactions unfold in ways that engender new forms of sociality, which underscore the diversifying nature of majority–minority relationships in Japan. Drawing on theoretical insights from applied linguistics and communications studies, this paper suggests that the material products of these relationships warrant increased scholarly attention because they are capable of positing compelling challenges to existing understandings of identity, as well as to the ways various groups conceptualize themselves in relation to others.

KEYWORDS:

• Japan
• identity
• intercultural communication
• African diaspora
• hybridity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.