Everyday nationhood and digital media: Tracing identity among Japanese cultural migrants

Abstract

Studies into media and migration have offered significant contributions but often emphasise short-term research, assuming migrants’ nationalism is sustained over time. To address this gap, this study adopts an ‘ethnographic returning’ method to further develop the theory of long-distance nationalism. It examines how Japanese cultural migrants in New York City and London negotiated their sense of national identity during the early migration phase and 20 years later. Findings show that migrants did not necessarily maintain nationalist sentiments but renegotiated them into a moderate sense of belonging to Japan, developing a sense of belonging to the host city through local inclusion – rather than the host nation. Digital technologies introduced in the past 20 years shape this process by providing frequent and rapid affective circuits, transforming migrants’ relationship to ‘home’. Migrants use digital platforms to access Japanese content and communicate with families in Japan, facilitating everyday nationhood while not necessarily fostering transnational identities.