Between Privilege and Disadvantage: Western Middling Migrants’Outsider Treatment in Japanese Companies

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Other Title
  • 特権と不利の狭間で : 日本における西洋人「ミドリング・マイグラント」の部外者扱い
  • トッケン　ト　フリ　ノ　ハザマ　デ　ニホン　ニ　オケル　セイヨウジン　ミドリング　マイグラント　ノ　ブガイシャ　アツカイ

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Abstract

Articles

Recent scholarship on migration has started to move away from a dualistic perspective of low-skilled and disadvantaged migrations on the one hand and what has been dubbed privileged migrations on the other hand. This paper focuses on such middling migrations by examining the case of young Western middling migrants in Japan. Westerners oftentimes get classified as highly-skilled while, in reality, they mostly rely on their foreign language skill and cultural knowledge. Although they can utilize their otherness to avoid uncomfortable situations, they are also at risk of becoming excluded and experiencing outsider treatment in the workplace. Drawing upon qualitative interviews with young Western middling migrants about their experience working in Japanese companies, I outline their struggles to fi t into existing workplace hierarchies and to be seen as full and competent members of the group. Outsider treatment leads to decreased job satisfaction, frustration, and mental-health issues. This contributes to their decision to quit their job and to consider re-migration. Future policy needs to address workplace integration and skill development opportunities for foreign employees.

Journal

  • 年報人間科学

    年報人間科学 45 65-80, 2024-03-31

    Sociology, Anthropology and Philosophy, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University

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