Session Name: Women across Asia: Stories, Agencies, and Representations
Okinawan Women's Stories of Migration: From War Brides to Issei
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
09:00 – 10:45 (GMT+7)
Book Summary: During the Allied Occupation of Okinawa from 1945-1952, several Okinawan women working within and around the US bases, met and had relationships with non-Western men who were stationed in Okinawa as soldiers and base employees. Most of these men were from the Philippines. This book traces the journeys of these women as they migrated to their husbands’ homeland, how they assimilated to their adopted land, as well as their return to their native Okinawa in their older years. Utilizing a life-course approach, this book narrates their experiences during the the Battle of Okinawa and the American Occupation of the prefecture. It also examines how these women crafted their own identities as so-called "war brides (sensou hanayome)" and first generation migrants (Issei) in both the country of migration and their natal homeland, their re-integration to Okinawan society and the role of religion in this regard. The book also enlightens readers about these women's thoughts as returnees and their end-of-life decisions. This book will be of interest to scholars looking at gender and migration, cross-cultural marriages, aging, war brides, as well as those interested in studies on East Asia, particularly Japan and/or Okinawa.
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