The Politics of International Marriage in Japan by Kim, Balgoa and Yamamoto on shelves today

by Hazel Jovita, Septrin John Calamba and Ivie Esteban, CASS | Nov 16 2021

Dr. Nelia Balgoa, Professor of the English Department, 草莓视频官网-IIT, and her co-authors Associate Professor Viktoriya Kim and Professor Beverley Anne Yamamoto, wrote a book, The Politics of International Marriage in Japan, published by the Rutgers University Press in 2021.

The Politics of International Marriage in Japan is a convergence of expertise of the authors in the fields of Asian Studies, Sociology, Women's and Gender Studies, and Anthropology.

Balgoa’s scholarly work is focused on languages, migration, and gender studies. Kim’s primary research interest is in international migration along with integration policies and gender while Yamamoto’s research is centered on the fields of education, health, inclusion, gender and sexuality. Kim is an Associate Professor at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto Japan and a University Lecturer at Osaka University since 2012. Yamamoto is a Professor in the Graduate School of Human Sciences at Osaka University where Balgoa obtained her doctoral degree.

The book delivers rigorous analysis on global issues such as gender and ethnic identities within the context of cross-cultural marriages among Japanese nationals and migrants. It is drawn from the case studies conducted by Kim, Balgoa, and Yamamoto among three cultural/ethic groups of spouses married to Japanese nationals - Russian-speaking women, Filipino women, and Western spouses.

In this book, the authors provided compelling academic discourses on international marriages, contemporary and historical trends in international marriages in Japan, and marriage migration policies in Japan. Specifically, the book discusses how migrant women traverse the complexities encountered being married with Japanese citizens while living in Japan. Kim, Balgoa, and Yamamoto point out that the negotiation of spaces and power relations within international marriages is characterized by overlapping pursuits of gender and ethnic identity. Lastly, the authors argue that the roles played by the states and imbedded structural imbalances across societies redefine the nature and dynamics of international marriages and migration in general.

The book offers a significant contribution to the discourse on international marriages and cross-cultural relationships among migrants and their host countries. For a country like the Philippines whose economic growth is strongly anchored on labor migration, The Politics of International Marriage in Japan puts forward fascinating sociological and political perspectives on the implications of labor and migration policies to the lives and welfare of Filipino migrants in Japan, particularly that of women.

This recently published book is part of the series, The Politics of Marriage and Gender: Global Issues in Local Contexts of the Rutgers University Press. The book is now available in different versions including paperback, EPUB, PDF, and Kindle. To learn more about this book, you may contact the authors by sending an email to neliabalgoa@g.msuiit.edu.ph.

Topics : 听颈苍迟别谤苍补迟颈辞苍补濒颈锄补迟颈辞苍 migration international marriages