Presentation Information
[PS-05]Exploring the Acquisition and Maintenance of Heritage Language and Cultural Capital among Second-Generation Immigrants in Japan possessing high SES
*Ksenia Zolotareva Zolotareva1 (1. University of Tokyo, Department of Education, PhD)
Keywords:
Second-Generation Immigrants in Japan,Heritage Language Acquisition and Maintenance,Ethnic Community,Parental Strategies in Cultural Capital Transmission,The Role of Digital Tools,Private and Public Spheres
Abstract
This study explores how second-generation immigrants in Japan with relatively high socioeconomic status (SES) acquire and maintain cultural capital—particularly heritage language—focusing on the roles of ethnic community affiliation, parental educational strategies, and the use of digital tools such as social media.
Methodology, Participants, and Theoretical Framework
The study involved 31 second-generation immigrants aged from their late 20s to early 40s, all of whom were raised in Japan by two non-Japanese parents, had attended Japanese educational institutions, and belonged to a relatively high SES group with an average annual household income exceeding six million yen. The analysis examined heritage language maintenance from three perspectives: (1) ethnic community affiliation, (2) parental educational strategies, and (3) the use of digital resources, such as social networking services (SNS).
The study adopts Bourdieu’s theory of capital and fields—which conceptualizes society as composed of multiple arenas where individuals compete for status through economic, cultural, and symbolic capital—and Bonny Norton’s theory of investment, which posits that language learners invest in language acquisition when they perceive it as a means to gain symbolic or material resources that enhance their social standing and future opportunities.
Findings
While all participants had experience in the Japanese education system and had thus acquired Japanese cultural capital, their acquisition of heritage cultural capital, including language, varied across three key dimensions:
1)Limited Ethnic Community Affiliation
Despite the commonly discussed roles of ethnic communities in cultural transmission, psychological support, and economic networking, highly educated immigrants are often observed to form diverse networks and integrate well into the host society. In this study, approximately 50% of participants (including their parents) reported no ethnic community affiliation, 30% reported parental affiliation only, and 20% indicated minimal or distanced involvement.
2)Four Patterns of Parental Educational Strategies
Parental strategies were classified into four types:
(1) active transmission of heritage cultural capital,
(2) fostering both heritage and international cultural capital,
(3) prioritizing only international cultural capital, and
(4) no cultural transmission.
Even when heritage language and culture were proactively transmitted, some participants later experienced psychological burden due to the dissonance with mainstream Japanese society, which in some cases led to avoidance of the heritage language in adulthood.
3)Digital Engagement vs. Physical Detachment
Only 5 out of 31 participants reported regularly reading books in their heritage language. However, around 60% engaged regularly with social media content and videos in the heritage language. This suggests a physical and psychological detachment from ethnic communities, but a more accessible and voluntary connection through digital means.
Conclusion
Even in cases where the transmission of heritage cultural capital is limited or accompanied by psychological barriers, digital tools such as social media offer a relatively low-threshold way to reconnect with and enjoy one’s heritage culture. While such reconnection through ethnic capital currently occurs mostly in private domains, it holds potential to extend into formal educational settings. The findings suggest the growing significance of digital platforms in educational practices for multicultural populations, including immigrants, in Japan.
This study explores how second-generation immigrants in Japan with relatively high socioeconomic status (SES) acquire and maintain cultural capital—particularly heritage language—focusing on the roles of ethnic community affiliation, parental educational strategies, and the use of digital tools such as social media.
Methodology, Participants, and Theoretical Framework
The study involved 31 second-generation immigrants aged from their late 20s to early 40s, all of whom were raised in Japan by two non-Japanese parents, had attended Japanese educational institutions, and belonged to a relatively high SES group with an average annual household income exceeding six million yen. The analysis examined heritage language maintenance from three perspectives: (1) ethnic community affiliation, (2) parental educational strategies, and (3) the use of digital resources, such as social networking services (SNS).
The study adopts Bourdieu’s theory of capital and fields—which conceptualizes society as composed of multiple arenas where individuals compete for status through economic, cultural, and symbolic capital—and Bonny Norton’s theory of investment, which posits that language learners invest in language acquisition when they perceive it as a means to gain symbolic or material resources that enhance their social standing and future opportunities.
Findings
While all participants had experience in the Japanese education system and had thus acquired Japanese cultural capital, their acquisition of heritage cultural capital, including language, varied across three key dimensions:
1)Limited Ethnic Community Affiliation
Despite the commonly discussed roles of ethnic communities in cultural transmission, psychological support, and economic networking, highly educated immigrants are often observed to form diverse networks and integrate well into the host society. In this study, approximately 50% of participants (including their parents) reported no ethnic community affiliation, 30% reported parental affiliation only, and 20% indicated minimal or distanced involvement.
2)Four Patterns of Parental Educational Strategies
Parental strategies were classified into four types:
(1) active transmission of heritage cultural capital,
(2) fostering both heritage and international cultural capital,
(3) prioritizing only international cultural capital, and
(4) no cultural transmission.
Even when heritage language and culture were proactively transmitted, some participants later experienced psychological burden due to the dissonance with mainstream Japanese society, which in some cases led to avoidance of the heritage language in adulthood.
3)Digital Engagement vs. Physical Detachment
Only 5 out of 31 participants reported regularly reading books in their heritage language. However, around 60% engaged regularly with social media content and videos in the heritage language. This suggests a physical and psychological detachment from ethnic communities, but a more accessible and voluntary connection through digital means.
Conclusion
Even in cases where the transmission of heritage cultural capital is limited or accompanied by psychological barriers, digital tools such as social media offer a relatively low-threshold way to reconnect with and enjoy one’s heritage culture. While such reconnection through ethnic capital currently occurs mostly in private domains, it holds potential to extend into formal educational settings. The findings suggest the growing significance of digital platforms in educational practices for multicultural populations, including immigrants, in Japan.