Wikipedia

Sansei

Not to be confused withSensei.

Sansei(Tam thế,"third generation" )is aJapaneseand North American English term[1]used in parts of the world (mainly inSouth AmericaandNorth America) to refer to the children of children born to ethnically Japanese emigrants (Issei) in a new country of residence, outside of Japan. Theniseiare considered the second generation, while grandchildren of the Japanese-born emigrants are calledSansei.The fourth generation is referred to asyonsei.[2]The children of at least oneniseiparent are calledSansei;they are usually the first generation of whom a high percentage are mixed-race, given that their parents were (usually), themselves, born and raised in America.[3]

The character and uniqueness of thesanseiis recognized in its social history.[4]

In various countries

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The grandchildren of these Japanese-Brazilian (Nipo-brasileiros) immigrants are calledSansei.

Although the earliest organized group of Japanese emigrants settled inMexicoin 1897,[5]the four largest populations of Japanese and their descendants are inBrazil,theUnited States,Canada,andPerú.

BrazilianSansei

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Main article:Japanese Brazilians

Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside ofJapan,with an estimate of more than 1.5 million people (including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity),[6]more than that of the 1.2 million in theUnited States.[7]TheSanseiJapanese of Brazil are an important ethnic minority in the South American nation.[8]

AmericanSansei

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Main article:Japanese Americans

Most AmericanSanseiwere born during theBaby Boomafter the end ofWorld War II;olderSansei,who were living in the western United States during the war, were forcibly incarcerated with their parents (Nisei) and grandparents (Issei) afterExecutive Order 9066was promulgated to exclude everyone of Japanese descent from theWest Coastand fromSouthern Arizona.TheSanseiwere forceful activists in theredress movementof the 1980s, which resulted in anofficial apologyto the internees.[9]In some senses, theSanseiseem to feel they are caught in a dilemma between their "quiet" Nisei parents and their other identity model of "verbal" and outspoken Americans.[10]

In the United States, an iconicSanseiis GeneralEric Shinseki(born November 28, 1942, 34thChief of Staff of the United States Army(1999–2003) and formerUnited States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.He is the firstAsian Americanin US history to be afour-star general,and the first to lead one of the four US military services.[11]

CanadianSansei

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Main article:Japanese Canadians

Within Japanese-Canadian communities across Canada, three distinct subgroups developed, each with different sociocultural referents, generational identities, and wartime experiences.[12]

PeruvianSansei

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Main article:Japanese Peruvians

Among the approximately 80,000 Peruvians of Japanese descent, theSanseiJapanese Peruvians comprise the largest number. Former Peruvian PresidentAlberto Fujimori,who was in office from 28 July 1990 until 22 November 2000, was theniseison ofIsseiemigrants fromKumamoto City,Kumamoto Prefecture,Japan.

Cultural profile

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Generations

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Japanese-Americans and Japanese-Canadians have special names for each of their generations in North America. These are formed by combining one of theJapanese numberscorresponding to thegenerationwith the Japanese word for generation (seiThế ). The Japanese-American and Japanese-Canadian communities have themselves distinguished their members with terms likeIssei,NiseiandSanseiwhich describe the first, second and third generation of immigrants. The fourth generation is calledYonsei( bốn thế ) and the fifth is calledGosei( năm thế ). TheIssei,NiseiandSanseigenerations reflect distinctly different attitudes to authority, gender, non-Japanese involvement, religious belief and practice and other matters.[13]The age when individuals faced the wartime evacuation and internment is the single, most significant factor which explains these variations in their experiences, attitudes and behaviour patterns.[12]

The termNikkei( ngày hệ ) encompasses all of the world's Japanese immigrants across generations.[14]The collective memory of theIsseiand olderNiseiwas an image of Meiji Japan from 1870 through 1911, which contrasted sharply with the Japan that newer immigrants had more recently left. These differing attitudes, social values and associations with Japan were often incompatible with each other.[15]In this context, the significant differences in post-war experiences and opportunities did nothing to mitigate the gaps which separated generational perspectives.

Generation Cohortdescription
Issei( một đời ) The generation of people born in Japan who later immigrated to another country.
Nisei( nhị thế ) The generation of people born outside Japan to at least oneIsseiparent.
Sansei ( tam thế ) The generation of people born to at least oneNiseiparent.
Yonsei( bốn thế ) The generation of people born to at least oneSanseiparent.
Gosei( năm thế ) The generation of people born to at least oneYonseiparent.[16]

In North America since the redress victory in 1988, a significant evolutionary change has occurred. TheSansei,their parents, their grandparents, and their children are changing the way they look at themselves and their pattern of accommodation to the non-Japanese majority.[17]

There are currently just over one hundred thousandBritish Japanese,mostly inLondon;but unlike otherNikkeicommunities elsewhere in the world, these Britons do not conventionally parse their communities in generational terms asIssei,NiseiorSansei.[18][19]

Sansei

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The third generation of immigrants, born in the United States or Canada to parents born in the United States or Canada, is calledSansei( tam thế ). Children born to theNiseiwere generally born after 1945. They speak English as their first language and are completely acculturized in the contexts of Canadian or American society. They tend to identify with Canadian or American values, norms and expectations. Few speak Japanese and most tend to express their identity as Canadian or American rather than Japanese. Among theSanseithere is an overwhelming percentage of marriages to persons of non-Japanese ancestry.[15]

Aging

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Thekanreki( còn lịch ), a traditional, pre-modern Japanese rite of passage to old age at 60, was sometimes celebrated by theIsseiand is now being celebrated by increasing numbers ofNiseiand a fewSansei.Rituals are enactments of shared meanings, norms, and values and this Japanese rite of passage highlights a collective response among the Nisei to the conventional dilemmas of growing older.[20]

History

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Main articles:Japanese diasporaandJapanese American history

Internment and redress

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Main articles:Internment of Japanese Americans,Japanese American redress and court cases,andInternment of Japanese Canadians

Some responded to internment with lawsuits and political action; and for others, poetry became an unplanned consequence:

With new hope.
We build new lives.
Why complain when it rains?
This is what it means to be free.
Lawson Fusao Inada,Japanese American Historical Plaza,Portland, Oregon.[21]

Life under United States policies before and after World War II

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Main articles:Japanese American life before World War IIandJapanese American life after World War II

Politics

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See also:Anti-Japanese sentiment in the United States

Thesanseibecame known as the "activist generation"[22]because of their large hand in theredress movementand individuals that have become a part of the American mainstream political landscape.

Notable individuals

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See also:List of Japanese Americans

The numbers ofsanseiwho have earned some degree of public recognition has continued to increase over time; but the quiet lives of those whose names are known only to family and friends are no less important in understanding the broader narrative of theNikkei.Although the names highlighted here are over-represented bysanseifrom North America, the Latin American member countries of thePan American Nikkei Association(PANA) includeArgentina,Bolivia,Brazil,Chile,Colombia,Mexico,Paraguay,Peru,Uruguay,in addition to the English-speakingUnited StatesandCanada.[23]

This is adynamic listand may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help byadding missing itemswithreliable sources.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^"Definition of SANSEI".merriam-webster.Retrieved21 April2018.
  2. ^In Japanese counting, "one, two, three, four" is "ichi, ni, san, yon" —seeJapanese numerals
  3. ^Nomura, Gail M. (1998). "Japanese American Women," inThe Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History(Mankiller, Barbara Smith, ed.), pp. 288-290.,p. 288, atGoogle Books
  4. ^Numrich, Paul David. (2008). NorthAmerican Buddhists in Social Context,p. 110.
  5. ^Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA),Japan-Mexico Relations;retrieved 2011-05-17
  6. ^MOFA,"Japan-Brazil Relations";retrieved 2011-05-17
  7. ^US Census,"Selected Population Profile in the United States; Japanese alone or in any combination," 2005Archived2020-02-12 atarchive.today;retrieved 2011-05-17
  8. ^Simons, Marlise."Japanese Gone Brazilian: Unhurried Workaholics,"New York Times.May 8, 1988; retrieved 2011-05-17
  9. ^Sowell, Thomas. (1981).Ethnic America: A History,p. 176.
  10. ^Miyoshi, Nobu. (1978)."Identity Crisis of the Sansei and the Concentration Camp,"Sansei Legacy Project (NIMH Grant No. 1 R13 MH25655-01); retrieved 2011-05-17
  11. ^Zweigenhaft, Richard L.et al.(2006).Diversity in the Power Elite: How it Happened, why it Matters,pp. 191-192,p. 191, atGoogle Books;US Army, Center of Military History,Eric Ken Shinksei;retrieved 2011-05-17
  12. ^abMcLellan, Janet. (1999).Many Petals of the Lotus: Five Asian Buddhist Communities in Toronto,p. 36,p. 36, atGoogle Books;Ikawa, Fumiko."Reviews:Umi o Watatta Nippon no Muraby Masao Gamo and "Steveston Monogatari: Sekai no Naka no Nipponjin"by Kazuko Tsurumi,American Anthropologist(US). New Series, Vol. 65, No. 1 (Feb., 1963), pp. 152-156; retrieved 2011-05-17
  13. ^McLellan,p. 59.,p. 59, atGoogle Books
  14. ^Japanese American National Museum,"What is Nikkei?"retrieved 2011-05-17
  15. ^abMcLellan,p. 37.,p. 37, atGoogle Books
  16. ^Ikezoe-Halevi, Jean."Voices of Chicago: Day of Remembrance 2006,"Discover Nikkei(US). October 31, 2006.
  17. ^McLellan,p. 68.,p. 68, atGoogle Books
  18. ^Itoh, Keiko. (2001).The Japanese Community in Pre-War Britain: From Integration to Disintegration,p. 7.,p. 7, atGoogle Books
  19. ^See also “Japan is Not Invited to Lord Mountbatten’s Funeral,” New York Times (September 5, 1979).
  20. ^Doi, Mary L."A Transformation of Ritual: The Nisei 60th Birthday."Journal Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology.Vol. 6, No. 2 (April, 1991); retrieved 2011-05-17
  21. ^PBS:"Oregon Laureate Reflects on Japanese Internment,"NewsHour.October 3, 2008; retrieved 2011-05-17
  22. ^US Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi website:"Japantown Represents More than 100 Years of a Unique Immigrant Experience,"inserted into the Congressional Record to commemorate the 100th anniversary of San Francisco's Japantown. September 19, 2006; excerpt, "... the emergence of the activist third generation — the Sansei — who are now" baby boomers "and the parents and grandparents of the fourth and fifth generations — the Yonsei and Gosei"; retrieved 2011-05-17
  23. ^National Association of Japanese Canadians:Pan American Nikkei AssociationArchived2009-02-18 at theWayback Machine(PANA); retrieved 2011-05-17
  24. ^Discover Nikkei:Francis Fukuyama bio;retrieved 2011-05-17
  25. ^Zweigenhaft,p. 182.,p. 182, atGoogle Books
  26. ^DiscoverNikkei:Mike Honda bioArchived2008-12-03 at theWayback Machine;retrieved 2011-05-17
  27. ^DiscoverNikkei:Robert Matsui bio;retrieved 2011-05-17
  28. ^Minami, Dale. (2005).University of Washington Law School, Commencement Address;retrieved 2011-05-17
  29. ^DiscoverNikkei:Mink bio;Nomura,pp. 288-290.,p. 288, atGoogle Books;retrieved 2011-05-17
  30. ^Zia, Helenet al.(1995). "Kent Nagano" inNotable Asian Americans,p. 273.
  31. ^Kim, Esther. (2006).A History of Asian American Theatre,p. 162.,p. 162, atGoogle Books
  32. ^Willingham, Mandy."A-bomb Legacy Fading: Steven Okazaki films hibakusha stories for future generations,"Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus(US). April 16, 2006, citingJapan Times,April 15, 2006; Kamiya, Gary."With a Japanese Heart,"Mother Jones Magazine(US). Sept-Oct 1990, p. 62; retrieved 2011-05-17
  33. ^Murase, Kenji."Ellison Onizuka: the First Nikkei Astronaut,"Nikkei Heritage(US). Vol. XI, No. 4, Fall 1999; retrieved 2011-05-17
  34. ^Franke-Ruta, Garance."Rouse hailed as first Asian American chief of staff,"Archived2010-10-03 at theWayback MachineWashington Post(US). OCtober 1, 2010; retrieved 2011-05-17
  35. ^Nakagawa, Kerry Yo."Through a Diamond: 100 years of Japanese American Baseball,p. 123.
  36. ^Jensen, Todd Aaron (2010).On Gratitude: Sheryl Crow, Jeff Bridges, Alicia Keys, Daryl Hall, Ray Bradbury, Anna Kendrick, B.B. King, Elmore Leonard, Deepak Chopra, and 42 More Celebrities Share What They're Most Thankful For.F+W Media, Inc. p. 224.ISBN9781440508929.RetrievedOctober 26,2012.
  37. ^Marcello (February 1, 2012)."Creative Spotlight: Episode #93 – Mike Shinoda Interview".japancinema.net.RetrievedOctober 27,2012.
  38. ^Obata, Hiroshi.Lạng tổ phụ mẫu は quảng đảo xuất thân( "Shinseki: both grandparents are from Hiroshima" ).Hiroshima Peace Media(Japan). January 30, 2009; retrieved 2011-05-17
  39. ^"In Depthwith Ronald Takaki ".C-SPAN.28 February 2009.Retrieved19 April2015.
  40. ^Goad, Ben."Congress District 41: Takano beats Tavaglione in nationally watched race,"Press-Enterprise(Riverside, California). November 6, 2012; retrieved 2012-12-2.
  41. ^Seigel, Shizue."Dan Tani: NASA’s Newest Japanese American Astronaut,"Nikkei Heritage(US). Vol. XI, No. 4, Fall 1999; retrieved 2011-05-17

References

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Further reading

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  • Gehrie, Mark Joshua. (1973).Sansei: An Ethnography of Experience(Ph.D. thesis, Anthropology). Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University.OCLC 71849646
  • Kaihara, Rodney and Patricia Morgan. (1973).Sansei Experience.San Fullerton, Calif.: Oral History Program, California State University, Fullerton.OCLC 23352676
  • Oana, Leilani Kyoko. (1984).Ethnocultural Identification in Sansei (Third Generation Japanese American) Females: An Evaluation of Alternative Measures(M.A. thesis). Washington, D.C.: George Washington University.OCLC 12726534
  • Okamura, Randall F. (1978).The Contemporary Sansei(M.A. thesis, Community Development and Public Service). San Francisco: Lone Mountain College.OCLC 13182634
  • Tanaka, Shaun Naomi. (2003).Ethnic Identity in the Absence of Propinquity Sansei and the Transformation of the Japanese-Canadian Community(M.A. thesis). Kingston, Ontario: Queen's University Press.OCLC 60673221
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