Formation of transpacific space of human migration and exclusion of "others."

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K17201
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Sociology
• Research Institution: Nanzan University
• Principal Investigator: Ooi Yuki 南山大学, 外国語学部, 准教授 (10551070)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 環太平洋越境移動空間 / アジア系移民 / 移民排斥 / 太平洋郵船 / 日本郵船

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Due to the current situation affected by the spread of COVID-19, I could not go to the libraries in the US that I had expected to find primary sources necessary for this research. Instead, I focused on Japan, an important corner of the transpacific space of human migration with special focus on port cities such as Yokohama and Kobe and visited libraries and museums there respectively and surfaced that how steamships companies from the US and the UK, such as the Pacific Mail Steamship Company were received and contributed to transformation of the areas as port towns which eventually became the centers of Japanese emigration. I also found out that the development of Japanese steamship company, Nippon Kisen Kaisha and its competition with foreign steamship companies contributed to the formation of transpacific space of human migration. At the same time, I obtained primary sources regarding the development of Japanese mail system.

Free Research Field

社会学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

研究の意義は主に、先行研究では、19世紀後半以降のアジアからアメリカへの越境移動や人種差別は、出身国(中国)と受入国(アメリカ)の二国間の枠組みで主に考察されてきたが、環太平洋での越境移動の数の増加と目的の多様化が、「異質さ」の位置づけに影響したことを考察したことである。
社会的意義としては、本研究が着目するのは1870年代-1920年代だが、人種・エスニシティにおける「他者」との日常的な出会い・接触が一般化している現代において、「他者」を眼差す視座がどう構成されるのか再考する知見を提供することが挙げられる。