Desire and the Construction of Masculine Identities Among Young Japanese Men with International Experiences

Abstract

This article uses qualitative interview data to analyse how young Japanese men with international experience spoke about (un)desirable masculine identities in relation to their sojourns. Specifically, this study investigates how ideas of desire and akogare (longing for something unattainable) were integral in the construction of ethno-national Japanese heterosexual male identities. By analysing intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, language and desire, this study argues that many participants perceived a hierarchy of desire abroad that elevated Western notions of hegemonic masculinity while simultaneously marginalizing heterosexual Asian masculinity. This was further complicated by participants who viewed host community women (who were often described as white native English speakers) as embodying ideal femininity. Japanese men’s subordinate masculinity was viewed as a barrier to romantic access to host community women, although for many participants, this group of women were seen as desirable romantic partners. This study also presents the stories of a small group of men who resisted marginalized masculine identities through criticism of the women in their host communities by assigning them a deviant femininity. This article illustrates how romantic desire can be used as a lens to analyse how Japanese male returned sojourners may replicate and challenge racial and gendered power structures.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ The labels gaikokujin (‘a person from another country’) and the less polite gaijin (‘outsider’) are commonly used in reference to non-Japanese people both inside and outside of Japan (Blake-Willis, 2008; Russell, 2017). I use the term ‘gai(koku)jin’ to represent both of these identities ascribed to ‘non-Japanese’ individuals.

² In the current study, participants were asked to choose their own pseudonym. ‘Tom’ was the only interviewee to select an Anglicized name whereas all other participants chose a masculine Japanese name. Adopting a ‘new name’ from another language or culture may be done for a variety of reasons but it is often a deliberate method of identity construction (for more information see Diao, 2014 and Thompson, 2006). Tom’s pseudonym choice can be seen as a way to maintain ties to his former Canadian host community. Viewed more critically, however, his choice is value laden and contains essentialized images of English speakers previously discussed in this paper. For Tom, a ‘Japanese name’ appears to have lacked the legitimacy required to claim an English-speaking identity in the context of this research interview. In other words, articulating an authentic English-speaking identity required an ‘English name’.

³ This study was approved by Osaka University Graduate School of Human Sciences Ethics Committee, registration number OUKS1706R1. Participants were provided with bilingual consent forms that assured their anonymity, ability to withdraw from research at any time, and the protection of interview data. Participants were made aware that data would be used in future publications and conference presentations. Lastly, participants were involved in member checking interviews to provide feedback on early stages of analysis.