The ability of migrants to integrate with a host society is deeply affected by the migrant’s know... more The ability of migrants to integrate with a host society is deeply affected by the migrant’s knowledge of the host country’s language. This paper presents the empirical findings of our study conducted in Japan in 2015-2016. The focus was the degree of Japanese language ability among Russian-speaking migrants in Japan, and the association between language skills and employment opportunities available to this population. We describe the learning sites and practices that Russian-speaking migrants utilized before and after their migration, offer insight into their Japanese language ability, and highlight the relationship between migrants’ employment status and Japanese language skills. Our aim is to illustrate the importance of affordable opportunities for effective learning and the role such learning plays in developing the language skills of migrants, thereby promoting their ability to secure employment in Japan. The analysis focuses on learning sites in Japan where the respondents st...
Paper available upon request
Abstract:
This paper explores how Russians residing in Japan obta... more Paper available upon request
Abstract:
This paper explores how Russians residing in Japan obtain, use, and interpret various material objects linked to Japanese religious and spiritual beliefs or otherwise associated with spirituality and available in Japan. The study aims to trace the trajectory of these items’ transformation from objects encountered accidentally to entities invested with distinct spiritual meanings assigned to them by their holders. These meanings do not necessarily coincide with the conventional understanding of the respective objects in the Japanese religious context. The paper also examines how some Russians engage in material-spiritual practices on a broader scale such that these practices become central to their lives in Japan. These practices often include involvement with schools of fortune-telling and yoga, popular in Japan. Examining these processes and the material objects participating in them makes it possible to determine how the religious and spiritual materiality of the host country both reflects and shapes the transformations experienced by the migrants. It also allows one to observe how the migrants’ native religion—Orthodox Christianity in many cases—is challenged in the absence of its own materially expressed foundation. The paper is available upon request.
The ability of migrants to integrate with a host society is deeply affected by the migrant’s know... more The ability of migrants to integrate with a host society is deeply affected by the migrant’s knowledge of the host country’s language. This paper presents the empirical findings of our study conducted in Japan in 2015-2016. The focus was the degree of Japanese language ability among Russian-speaking migrants in Japan, and the association between language skills and employment opportunities available to this population. We describe the learning sites and practices that Russian-speaking migrants utilized before and after their migration, offer insight into their Japanese language ability, and highlight the relationship between migrants’ employment status and Japanese language skills. Our aim is to illustrate the importance of affordable opportunities for effective learning and the role such learning plays in developing the language skills of migrants, thereby promoting their ability to secure employment in Japan. The analysis focuses on learning sites in Japan where the respondents st...
Paper available upon request
Abstract:
This paper explores how Russians residing in Japan obta... more Paper available upon request
Abstract:
This paper explores how Russians residing in Japan obtain, use, and interpret various material objects linked to Japanese religious and spiritual beliefs or otherwise associated with spirituality and available in Japan. The study aims to trace the trajectory of these items’ transformation from objects encountered accidentally to entities invested with distinct spiritual meanings assigned to them by their holders. These meanings do not necessarily coincide with the conventional understanding of the respective objects in the Japanese religious context. The paper also examines how some Russians engage in material-spiritual practices on a broader scale such that these practices become central to their lives in Japan. These practices often include involvement with schools of fortune-telling and yoga, popular in Japan. Examining these processes and the material objects participating in them makes it possible to determine how the religious and spiritual materiality of the host country both reflects and shapes the transformations experienced by the migrants. It also allows one to observe how the migrants’ native religion—Orthodox Christianity in many cases—is challenged in the absence of its own materially expressed foundation. The paper is available upon request.
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Papers by Ksenia Golovina
Abstract:
This paper explores how Russians residing in Japan obtain, use, and interpret various material objects linked to Japanese religious and spiritual beliefs or otherwise associated with spirituality and available in Japan. The study aims to trace the trajectory of these items’ transformation from objects encountered accidentally to entities invested with distinct spiritual meanings assigned to them by their holders. These meanings do not necessarily coincide with the conventional understanding of the respective objects in the Japanese religious context. The paper also examines how some Russians engage in material-spiritual practices on a broader scale such that these practices become central to their lives in Japan. These practices often include involvement with schools of fortune-telling and yoga, popular in Japan. Examining these processes and the material objects participating in them makes it possible to determine how the religious and spiritual materiality of the host country both reflects and shapes the transformations experienced by the migrants. It also allows one to observe how the migrants’ native religion—Orthodox Christianity in many cases—is challenged in the absence of its own materially expressed foundation. The paper is available upon request.
Abstract:
This paper explores how Russians residing in Japan obtain, use, and interpret various material objects linked to Japanese religious and spiritual beliefs or otherwise associated with spirituality and available in Japan. The study aims to trace the trajectory of these items’ transformation from objects encountered accidentally to entities invested with distinct spiritual meanings assigned to them by their holders. These meanings do not necessarily coincide with the conventional understanding of the respective objects in the Japanese religious context. The paper also examines how some Russians engage in material-spiritual practices on a broader scale such that these practices become central to their lives in Japan. These practices often include involvement with schools of fortune-telling and yoga, popular in Japan. Examining these processes and the material objects participating in them makes it possible to determine how the religious and spiritual materiality of the host country both reflects and shapes the transformations experienced by the migrants. It also allows one to observe how the migrants’ native religion—Orthodox Christianity in many cases—is challenged in the absence of its own materially expressed foundation. The paper is available upon request.