Sophia University Institute of Comparative Culture presents a workshop on

Migrant Stories of Indian Cooks and Afghani Women in Japan

This workshop will reflect on the challenges faced by Indian cooks working in Indian restaurants and the changing relationship between Afghani women migrants and the volunteers of the Yotsukaido Cross-Cultural Association. The lives of these two migrant groups in Japan are examined through oral history interviews, statistical analysis of secondary data and multi-sited fieldwork including visual ethnography.
As a part of the Sophia Research Project on Priority Areas 'Refugees and new migrant support: the role of the Church, other religious groups, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the sustainable social integration of displaced population into Japan (Lead investigator: Professor David H. SLATER),' the workshop examines the support system for new migrants. These migrants not only depend on the long-established members of their community, but also on the state and civil society institutions to adjust to their new environment. The workshop will reflect on the obstacles these migrants face and the support they get, if any, in finding opportunities to earn a living, and in learning the language to socially integrate in Japan and feel at home.

15th November, 2019 / Room 301, 3F, Building 10, Sophia University Yotsuya Campus

15:30 -16:15: "Labor laws vs the reality: Reflecting on the narratives of Indian cooks and Indian restaurant owners in Japan" Megha Wadhwa (Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institute of Comparative Culture, Sophia University)
16:20-16:50: "Daughters from Afghanistan: Interactions between young migrant mothers and Japanese volunteers"
Masako Tanaka (Professor, Faculty of Global Studies, Sophia University)
17:00 - 17:45: Screening of a documentary film on "Daughters from Afghanistan" by Megha Wadhwa and Masako Tanaka
18:00 - 19:00: Discussion and Q&A session with commentary from Kyoko Matsukawa (Professor, Dept. of Sociology, Faculty of Letters at Konan University)


Kyoko MATSUKAWA is cultural anthropologist and Professor at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Letters, Konan University (Kobe, Japan). She has published articles on multi-lingual situation of Goa, India. Her current research interests are on the globalization of Indian performing arts in new media situation, as well as transnational community and citizenship of Indian expatriates in the Middle East
Masako TANAKA teaches South Asian Studies and Gender and Development at the Faculty of Global Studies, Sophia University. Her on-going research focuses on the reproductive health of migrant women and the roles of migrants' organizations in the civil society of Japan.
Megha WADHWA is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Institute of Comparative Culture, Sophia University. Her Ph.D. dissertation was on Indian migrants in Tokyo reflecting on their socio-cultural, religious, and working aspects. Her on-going research focuses on the working conditions of the Indian cooks and reproductive health of Indian migrant women in Japan.

No prior registration necessary/ Lectures in English/ Free of charge
http://icc.fla.sophia.ac.jp/html/events/2019-2020/191115_SORW_MeghaWadhwa.pdf

7-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8554, Sophia University Institute of Comparative Culture

-Sophia University Research in Priority Areas Refugees and new migrant support: the role of the Church, other religious groups, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the sustainable social integration of displaced population into Japan
-JSPS KAKEN Project# 18KK0030 Migrant women and SDGs: Access to sexual and reproductive health services in Japan. 2018-10-09 - 2022-03-31