Transformations Of Cultural Identity: Japanese Mothers Raising Intercultural Families In Australia

Abstract:

Stuart Hall argues that identity is not about ‘who we are’ or ‘where we come from’, but about ‘becoming’ something. This paper explores Japanese women’s changing cultural identity by focussing on those who have chosen to leave their homeland and settled in Australia to raise a family. Selected from a larger study of mixed marriage, this paper focuses on three case studies of Japanese women who settled in Western Australia with their European migrant husbands and raised children in the third culture are the focus of this paper. It examines how these women adjusted their cultural values in relation to their husband’s culture and the new host culture, how they raised their children in a foreign land with a foreign husband, and the manner in which they retained elements of their Japanese identity, re-creating themselves through different stages in life. While their experiences demonstrate challenges, not least of which are alienation, ‘culture shock’, and racism, they also offer evidence of resilience and creativity in the negotiation of cultural adaptation. This paper demonstrates the complexity of the transformation of cultural identity, which is intertwined with the multicultural home environment, isolation from familiar cultures of origin, gender roles within the family, and the historical and political background of the society in which these women live.