2023 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Transnational Entrepreneurship: Japanese Diaspora Entrepreneurs in Latin America
| Project/Area Number |
20K01857
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| Research Institution | Toyo Gakuen University |
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Principal Investigator |
バーチュリ セーラ 東洋学園大学, 現代経営学部, 教授 (50508562)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
横山 和子 東洋学園大学, 現代経営学部, 兼任講師 (50230660)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | Diaspora / Entrepreneurship / Latin America / Japanese / Nikkei / Embeddedness / Multifocality |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Over the course of the research we have visited Shizuoka, Okinawa, and Gunma, Japan, Sao Paulo, Brazil and Mexico City, Mexico. In Brazil, we conducted interviews with 21 entrepreneurs. In Mexico we interviewed 13 entrepreneurs, and in Japan we interviewed 15 entrepreneurs. We visited their businesses and spent time engaging with the local Nikkei population to gain an insight into the history and culture of the area. In the final year, we have spent time carefully transcribing the interview records in English and Japanese and have sent them for verification to all the respondents. This has allowed us to proceed with our book on “Transnational Diaspora Entrepreneurship: Cases from Mexico, Brazil, and Japan.” We have further developed the framework of multifocality to help position the entrepreneurs in their context and be able to compare and contrast their experiences. Transnational entrepreneurship conceptualizes the role of multiple places and multiple groups in the creation, identification and seizing of opportunities by transnational migrant entrepreneurs. Multifocality (Solano, 2016) recognises that entrepreneurs belong to a number of groups, may have multiple identities, and work in multiple sites. Our research is renewing attention on how these individuals and their businesses should be understood beyond the common focus on the ‘country of residence-country of origin’ dichotomy. We have uncovered the many complexities of entrepreneurship in this context; better understanding the impact of society, family and culture on access to entrepreneurial opportunities.
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