Being More Okinawan: Influences of Activities, Learning, and Interactions in Hawai'i on Okinawan Identity

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 70
  In Roundtable Session: Equity by Design: STEM, Narrative, and Assessment

Abstract

Okinawa used to be a distinct state called Ryūkyū; however, after Japan’s annexation of Ryūkyū in 1879, Okinawa became a part of Japan. Residents in contemporary Okinawa have complex identity as Okinawan and/or Japanese. The purpose of this study is to investigate Okinawan identity among Okinawan international students in Hawaiʻi. I employ the grounded theory methodology for my interview data analysis, and utilize the concept of funds of identity to compare with the findings. The analysis results show constructed categories that explain a phenomenon of Okinawan identity salience and development by identifying temporal trajectory of self-description as Okinawa, spaces where their Okinawan consciousness was possibly provoked, and influences of activities and learning regarding Okinawa and Hawaiʻi on Okinawan identity.

Author

• Kazufumi Taira, University of Hawaii - Manoa