XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 13-19, 2014)

July 13 - 19, 2014

JS-78

Crossing Experiences: From Biographies of Migrants in and from Northeast Asia

RC38 Biography and Society (host committee)
RC31 Sociology of Migration

Language: English

This session intends to contribute to the progression of migration studies through biographies and family histories in and from the northeast Asian region (Japan, two Koreas and Chinas). Historically, northeast Asian countries have sent and accepted migrants over centuries. Because of drastic transitions in labor markets and demographic compositions, societies in this region now face a new period of migration, both in sending and accepting. On the other hand, histories of migrants in and from this region (i.e. Chinese, Korean and Japanese migrants in Americas, Koreans in Japan, war-displaced Japanese in China, etc.) face difficulties in inheriting their past experiences. Biography and/or family history provide effective means of investigation of reasons and processes of migration. Such “personal” histories enable researchers to understand each phenomenon that deeply influences migration such as state policies, economic situations, and transnational networks, through a historical perspective in keeping with the reality of each migrant. On these academic interests, this session particularly invites contributors who promote migration studies in the northeast Asian region from historical perspectives and empirical researches of migrant’s experiences, as well as locate their findings in the previous discussions in sociology that deals with international migration.