Japanese Canadians
Social class/ ethnicity
• Like social class, ethnicity is also a
subjective and objective condition.
• To put it in sociological terms, "an
ethnic group is one which is a
collectivity of individuals sharing unique
socio-cultural traditions which are
generationally transmitted". (1980:4)
Two Views: Conflict
• Social class argument…ethnic groups are
an ascribed status within the larger class
structure
• Ethnic group status hierarchy is largely the
result of capitalism and its inherent
inequality.
• Order of arrival is important.
Other position: Structural
Functional
• Is the structural functionalist argument
that ethnic success or not, is cultural.
• Cultural values, ethnic ghetto culture hold
certain groups from success.
• In this view the stratification system,
which class based is open. Achievement
and not ascription determine social
standing.
Japanese Canadians
• The struggle of Japanese Canadians
indicated that a group success is related to
the system and how the group was treated
by the political and economic
establishment.
• The system not cultural values is the
reason for their historical oppression
The Japanese In Canada
• Over the past century, the
Japanese in Canada have
changed in remarkable ways.
Japanese Identity
•
The Japanese have undergone an
evolution from:
1. cheap labour,
2. yellow peril, enemy aliens
3. model minority.-assimilated?
The history
• The history of the Japanese community
corresponds to the demands of capitalism,
the acceptance and rejection of the
dominant group.
Formative Stage
• The first period in their history in Canada
occurred between 1877-1907.
• It was characterized by free entry.
• There were no quotas on the number of
Japanese immigrants.
• THEY WERE CHEAP LABOUR!
The Struggle
• Manzo Nagano, the first known immigrant
from Japan, arrived in Canada in 1877.
• Like other minorities, Japanese Canadians
since that time struggled against prejudice
• .
• Gradually, they earned a respected place in
the Canadian mosaic through hard work and
perseverance
• By 1901 this number had increased to
almost 5,000 migrants
Bachelor Society
• Most newcomers before 1908 were young,
single males from economically depressed
farming and fishing villages who had
traveled to Canada in hopes of amassing
their fortunes and returning to Japan.
Bachelor Society
• These were mainly men who intended on
working diligently for a few years and
returning to Japan with enough capital to
start their own farms and businesses.
• In 1895, the British Columbia government
changed the provincial elections act to deny
Japanese and their Canadian-born
offspring the right to vote.
• In 1907 a white mob rampaged through the
Chinese and Japanese sections of
Vancouver to protest the presence of Asian
workers who threatened their livelihood.
• They lobbied the federal government to stop
immigration from Asia.
• Following the riot, the Canadian
government sent the Minister of Labour at
that time, Rodolphe Lemieux, to Tokyo to
meet with the Japanese government.
• The result was the 1908 Hayashi-Lemieux
“Gentlemen’s agreement” where Japan
voluntarily limited migration to 400
agricultural labourers or domestic servants
per year
• At the beginning of the 20th century, the
Japanese in Canada were concentrated in
British Columbia.
• Before World War II, 95% were living in
this province. Japanese labourers often
moved throughout BC as they found jobs in
fishing, farming, mining, and lumbering
industries.
•
The Dream vs Reality
• Between 1908 and 1940 “Dreams of Riches
Phase”
• Government restriction allowed families to
join together.
End Bachelor Society
• After the 1908, Hayashi-Lemieux
agreement, the structure of the Japanese
community began to change as women
began arriving from Japan in significant
numbers.
The Family Society
Gentlemen’s Agreement
• As a result of “Gentlemen’s Agreement in
1908• The Japanese government issued visas and
restricted the number of male labourers
entering Canada to only 400 per year from
7000 per year…..
Issei, Nisei and Sansei
• ISSEI - The first generation of immigrants,
born in Japan before moving to Canada.
• NISEI - The second generation, born in
Canada to Issei parents.
• SANSEI - The third generation, born in
Canada to Nisei parents born in Canada
Three Generational Hypothesis
• The Japanese concepts of Issei (first
generation) , Niesei (Second) and Sansei
runs counter to Herberg’s Three
Generational Hypothesis.
• After WW2, the Sansei assimilated rather
than rediscover Japanese roots.
Issei, Nisei and Sansei
• Pre war immigrants spoke vocabulary
of the past era and Issei, Nisei and
Sansei spoke a mix –
• -Whereas the Post War new immigrant
speaks modern Japanese and looks at
others as illiterate
Towards Assimilation
• The Issei did their best to inculcate
Japanese language and values.
• The Issei relied up the Niesi to retain
Japanese and act as interpreter for the Issei.
• However, the Neisie became increasingly
assimilated for three important reasons:
Towards Assimilation
• First, public school-teaches individualism
over the Japanese value of social
conformity
•
• Second, Christian demominations swayed
immigrants away from Buddhism to
Anglican and United churches.
• Third, English night school, established by
the Christian churches helped to generate
a new way of life for the second generation
Japanese that was half way between
traditional Japanese culture and the new
world.
Pre War Community
• a. Large & cohesive and well unified
collectivity
• b. Sponsorship leads to group
migration
• c. All were victims of a hostile political
climate –see Regina Riots
• d. Common language, religion and
occupational similarity
Post-war Japanese
Immigrants
• Post-war immigrants were sponsored
by relatives, a category enabling people
who lacked skills to enter Canada.
Observations of the
Differences
• The differences
in
the social
organizations of the pre war and post
war Japanese:
• 1.
Pre
war
had
collective
consciousness –
• The Post War new group was ethnically
and ideologically diverse.
•
Japanese Canadian attitudes
2. Pre war appreciates traditional
Japanese language and customs• Prewar institutionally complete
3. Post war does not fully appreciate
• Post war Japanese Canadian looks to
host culture
•
Maintenance Phase
• Life as Enemy Aliens 1941-1949
• FROM CHEAP LABOUR TO ENEMY
ALIEN
Japanese alienation
• The alienation of Japanese Canadian was
always present from late 19thc onward.
• However, pearl harbour turned cultural
alienation in political/legal alienation.
• DEC 7th, 1941.. "a date which will live in
infamy."
• The bombing killed more than 2,300
Americans
After Pearl Harbour Dec. 7th
1941
• Japanese were severely restricted:
• a. all naturalized Japanese were interned in a
restricted area
• b. 51 Japanese language schools were closed
• c. publication of 3 Japanese Newspapers were
banned
• d. 1200 fishing boats were confiscated
Following Pearl Harbour
• Under the direction of Prime Minister
Mackenzie King, all Japanese were order
to register with the government on January
8, 1942.
• Those who resisted and challenged the
orders of the Canadian government were
rounded up by the RCMP and incarcerated
in a barbed-wire prisoner-of-war camp in
Angler, Ontario.
• While they were being distributed across
Canada, the Japanese were required to sign
their property and belongings over to the
Custodian of Enemy Property. These
possessions (including homes, land and
businesses) were subsequently sold
beginning in 1943. This was done without
the permission of the owners…
‘Japs” -CARDED PEOPLE
• They were issued either yellow, pink or
white cards for Japanese Nationals,
Naturalized Japanese or Canadian Japanese
respectively.
1941-1951
• In 1941, over 95% of all Japanese lived in
BC, a decade later, in 1951, only 33% lived
west of the Rockies.
• (The internment and treatment of the
Japanese was more severe than for other
groups such as the Italian)
Ethnic sub-society obliterated
• The ethnic sub-society form in phase two
was obliterated.
• Racial discrimination decreased reduced
their visibility.
• Since 1950, the Japanese have had full
legal rights in Canada.
•
Japanese Assimilation
• Indicators include:
• a. Christianization-by 1971, half of the
group identify themselves as Christian
• b. Sansei-third generation highly
assimilated
• c. Speak English Fluently
• d. Sansei have more non-Japanese
friends
• E. Dramatic increase in intermarriage by
1980
Actualization
• The final phase “Home at Last” is their
phase of group actualization.
• The war, evacuation, and resettlement
brought about massive changes to the
community.
•
• Post War Japanese Community in
British Colombia” by Victor Ujimoto
1987.
•
Immigration Act of 1952
• Following the Act and as a result of an
Amendment in 1957, more immigrants
began to come.
• But the old days of the community
were gone…
• The Japanese Canadian assimilates
as they moved East.
Impact of the Points System
• In 1967 new immigration regulations
allowed immigrants to enter Canada based
on factors such as skills and occupational
demand , unlike other Asian countries,
Japan has sent relatively few recent
migrations to Canada.
• Of the total population of immigrants in the
country after 1970, less than half a percent
were from Japan
• The post-WWII immigrants are similar to
the first arrivals in that they are
predominantly young adults who have
families after they come to Canada, but
unlike the early immigrants, they are highly
skilled professionals and workers from
Japan’s industrialized, urban middle class. -
1966
• Following 1965, a new technical elite
emerged.
• A new Canadian visa office opened in
Tokyo in 1966, and a vigorous
advertising campaign was launched to
attract highly skilled workers.
•
• Furthermore the gender difference is very
different from the earlier immigrant
streams.
• Women currently make up the majority of
the new arrivals from Japan.
• They are typically highly educated and
often find work in the arts or social service
sector.
• They tend to settle in major Canadian cities
and marry men of non-Japanese
background, further increasing the multiethnic nature of the contemporary
Japanese Canadian community.
Summary
• Japanese Canadians have witnessed an
historical struggle with alienation in
Canadian society.
• World War 2 was particularly problematic
• The community gradually assimilated as it
was forced to move eastward and laws
restricting their movement were lifted.
Institutionally completeness
• Institutionally complete- associations
in which members could secure social
and financial assistance
The Chinese Canadian
Family
•
• The first wave came as part of the
Gold rush.
• Upon discovery of gold many
worked for the railway or made
their way east.
•
After 1885
• However, after 1885, when the railroad
was completed a 50 dollar head tax
was instituted which rose to 500 dollars
in 1903.
•
• The head tax in other words was
systemic discrimination.
Bachelor society
•
• These Chinese men were forced to
have a Bachelor society, but given
capitalism’s need for investment and
entreprenuership, many `women’ were
allowed into Canada subject to a head
tax, following 1900.
Chinese Entrepreneurs
• The Chinese who made their way
easy found their way into a
entrepreneurial business areas
such as groceries, laundries etc.
• With legislation banning Chinese from
many professions, Chinese entered
professions that non-Chinese
Canadians did not want to do like
laundry shops or salmon processing.
•
• Many
experienced
isolation
by
Canadian Immigration policies such
as preferred and non preferred until
1962. (Richmond,1977)
History
• In the absence of Native and others
(Chinese were allowed to work on the
railway between 1860 and 1885 reserve army of labour)
• 15,000 were `let in’ despite the
protests of the BC government.
• Chinese settlers began moving eastward
after the completion of the CPR,[ although
Chinese numbers in BC continued to grow
and, until the 1960s, there were no
significant populations of Chinese in any
other province.
The Chinese Family
•
• The
Chinese
marital
status
differs
significantly from the larger Canadian
population.
•
• The myth that Chinese have large families
is not supported by empirical evidence. The
fertility rate among Chinese Canadian
females is lower than their Canadian
counterparts.
•
• The data clearly show that Chinese
Canadians has significantly higher
levels of education than there
Canadian counterparts.
Chinese and South Asian
•
• Chinese and South Asian men from the
Bachelor period sent their money home
to their families.
Dill (1983)
• Dill (1983) refers to this as the split
family household.
• Lineage involves a group of families
from the same ancestry living in the
same household or locality.
Bachelor Chinese
•
• Men arrived in Canada living
communally on ships and continue the
pattern once they arrive.