Week 7 - Anne Bernice Lacerna

Jeffrey Lesser in “From Japanese to Nikkei and Back: Integration Strategies of Japanese Immigrants and Their Descendants in Brazil” discusses the history and displacement of the Nikkei or Japanese diaspora in Brazil and how they assimilate into the Brazilian culture and accept it as part of their identity. The Nikkei having embraced Brazilian culture thus are now multicultural. It seems that Brazil has welcomed the Nikkei with open arms and see them as their model minority, even adding to the culture of Brazil. This is interesting to examine when comparing Brazil to particularly America. Both the Asian immigrants are seen as “model minorities” however, the reasons behind this may be different. America coined the term “model minority” to appear more likeable across the world if they accept another culture into their own during the civil rights movement while Brazil seems to have genuinely opened their arms to the Nikkei. I wonder why Brazil is so open to other cultures and communities, and how the Nikkei has gained such support and acceptance into Brazilian life.

Lesser, J. “From Japanese to Nikkei and Back: Integration Strategies of japanese Immigrants and Their Descendants in Brazil.”