With Japan’s long history of ethno-nationalism, small refugee populations, strict immigration laws, insider-outsider gaijin (foreigner) distinctions, and assimilationist policies, Igbo immigrants’ views on identity offers valuable insight onto the effects of (unwanted) globalized demographic change. This study will utilize qualitative ethnographic methods to capture Igbo identities in Tokyo, highlighting understudied insights on race, tribal identity, and immigration, in a place without the history of African slavery. 

Advisor: Yoko Yamamoto