Japanese souls and Brazilian hearts

Abstract

Studies of immigration, identity, and culture have recently focused on examinations of transnationalism and transnational ties. Among these, explorations of "return" migration (i.e., a migration movement to one's ethnic homeland) are of particular importance due to its potential effects on self-concept and mental wellbeing. Though a literature is emerging, the effects of return migration are understudied and populations of "return-return" migrants (persons who migrated to their ancestral homeland and subsequently returned to their country of origin) are virtually unexplored. This dissertation begins to fill a gap in our knowledge of return-return migration by examining Japanese Brazilian returnees' migratory experiences and how they are associated with identity and mental wellbeing.