Negotiating Multiple Identities ― Shame and Pride Among Japanese Returnees

This book uses a post-modern approach to explore how Japanese returnee students (kikokushijo) and former returnees who work in Japanese industry, negotiate multiple identities. Methodological triangulation is used to study inner perception of face, emotional state and the dynamics of negotiating multiple-layering of identities. The work considers the relationship between face and identities, and the function of the affective aspects of face, shame and pride in identity negotiation.

Readers will discover how Japanese returnees deal with shame and pride in face-threatening or face-promoting situations that affect their identity negotiation. Many such returnees stayed abroad because of their parents’ jobs and the author explores variations among them, in terms of how they identify with their identity as a returnee. We discover how there are multiple levels of identities instead of ‘identity’ as a singular.

Two phases of research, carried out across ten years and involving some participants in both phases, are explored in this work. Although the participants in the research are Japanese returnees, the findings drawn from the study have implications for others who spend an extensive period of time overseas, who migrate from one place to another or who have multiple cultural backgrounds.

The book incorporates ideas from Western and Eastern literature on intercultural communication, sociology and social psychology and it blends both micro and macro analysis.

This book is recommended for scholars, educators, students and practitioners who seek to understand better how people negotiate their multiple identities in this globalising world.

Kiyoko Sueda (Ph.D., Lancaster University, 2002) is professor of communication studies and is currently Chair of the Department of International Communication, School of International Politics, Economics and Communication, Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan. She teaches communication theories, interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, and intercultural training. Her research interests include face (social), identities, shame and pride in interpersonal and intercultural communication. She has written on face, identities, reintegration of shame, communication theories, intercultural communication, and methodologies and methods in communication studies. Her co-authored book, ‘Komyunikeishon gaku: Sono tenboh to shiten (Communication studies: Perspectives and prospects)’ is one of the best sellers among textbooks on communication studies in Japan. Her co-edited book, ‘Komyunikeishon kenkyu hoh (Research methods in communication studies)’ was nominated by the Communication Association of Japan as the most outstanding book published in 2011. She has served SIETAR Japan as Vice President from 1998-2001 and 2002-2004, and has served SIETAR Japan and Intercultural Education Society, Japan, as a member of editorial board. She is also engaged in the activities of the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies organisation and has served as a Global Advisory Board member since 2005.