WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO CONNECT? Japanese Identity and Desire to Pass on the Language and Culture among Japanese Diaspora

 概要：グローバル化の中で「移動」の時代を生きる私たちと日本、日本文化、日本語とのかかわりは今後どのように変化していくのだろうか。筆者は「日系ディアスポラ研究」の一環として、1960-70年代に渡英した人々が老年期を見据えて1996年にロンドンで創設した「英国日本人会」（JA）へのアンケート調査を実施した。

前半では、こうした英国に根を下ろした日本語話者が、自らと家族の言語使用や日本語の継承、日本との関係、終の棲家、アイデンティティをどのように捉えているかを探った調査とその結果についてお話ししたい。

後半では、JAの創設メンバーの1人であるウイリアムズ・モモコ氏をゲストに迎え、ウィリアムズ氏が立ち上げた「忘れな草」プロジェクト（1950年代以降イギリスに渡って活躍した人々へのビデオインタビュー　http://wasurenagusa.org.uk/ja）より、主に日本語の保持と継承に深くかかわる内容のインタビューを紹介する。その後、講演とビデオの内容を踏まえて、参加者が日本語の保持・継承や、アイデンティティなどについてグループで話し合い、共有する。

Living in the age of global mobility, the concept of being Japanese cannot be stable and remain unchanged. Identity is determined by choices and actions individuals take and current socio-political and economical flow. In search for what makes Japanese themselves feel Japanese, Kazuko Miyake has been interviewing ‘Japanese Diaspora’ who have spent most of their lives outside of Japan. Recently she conducted a survey among the members of Japan Association in the UK (JA) and obtained intriguing results. JA was formed in 1996, the core members of which came to the UK in the 1960-70s and have settled ever since. This talk is about how people living outside Japan hold the Japanese sense of identity.

In the first half of the talk, Miyake will explain briefly the background of the lives of Japanese in the UK after the Second World War, then move on to the present survey. The results of the survey reveal the complexity of determining factors, such as the age of immigration, nationality, families’ language use, retainment and inheritance of Japanese language and culture, position towards Japan, choice of place to spend last days, etc.

In the latter half of the talk, one of the founding members of JA, Momoko Williams, who now leads the Wasurena-gusa project, will speak about the project. The project's aim is to preserve a record of Japanese who have lived and made significant contributions to the Japanese community since the 1950s. Short video clips of interviews that are relevant to the maintenance and inheritance of Japanese language will be shown, followed by Williams’ explanation and Miyake’s comments. The audience will be given some time to discuss in groups and share their opinions with other participants.

参加費：無料  Free entry
言語　日本語 This lecture will be held entirely in Japanese.

 

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