Using Diaspora: Orientalism, Japanese Nationalism, and the Japanese Brazilian Diaspora

Abstract

Japanese nationalism is inseparable from Western Orientalism. The West has been a significant discursive Other for Japan since its emergence as a modern nation-state in the late nineteenth century. Japanese nationalism has not simply accepted but appropriated Western Orientalism to assert its difference and identity. This study investigates the relationship between Japanese nationalism and Orientalism in the era of globalisation by examining a case in which the Japanese Brazilian diaspora is discursively used in an Orientalist manner to construct the meaning of Japaneseness. Using the concepts of multi-accentuality and hegemony, the author analyses the first major television drama series to highlight the Japanese migration to Brazil that was broadcast on Japans state-funded television station and viewers comments posted on the shows website.