Sociology of Culture Commons^™

Experiences Of Japanese War Brides And Assimilation Into Appalachia: Understanding The Intersection Of Ethnicity And Gender, Kyoko Kondo

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This qualitative study analyzes the acculturation and assimilation of Japanese war brides into Appalachia. Although the Japanese female immigrants have lived in Appalachia for many years, their life experiences have been ignored by academia in Appalachian studies. A purpose of this study is to advance the understanding what social mechanisms impact the assimilation of the Japanese war brides and what it means for them to live in this society. By using oral history with open-ended questions, data is gathered from in-depth interviews with four Japanese war brides. The study finds retention of ethnic identity, recovery of cultural heritage, and social …