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Paper short abstract:

Based on the fieldwork in an urban area in Osaka, Japan, this presentation aims to explore ways of coexisting among the migrants and local people in “super-diversity,” and the difficulties and possibilities of crossing the boundary between “us” and “them.”

Paper long abstract:

“Super diversity” (Vertovec 2007) has been widely acknowledged to describe situations in which various difference among people and culture stand out and compose an urban place. In Japan too, with the rapid increase in the number of migrants, many areas in urban places have been attracting various migrants and ethnic minorities, which brings about the situation called “super-diversity.” While such an increase in diversity and complexity characterizes contemporary society, the boundary between “us” and “them” and even the hostility against “others” have been reinforced in many parts of the world (Anderson 2013).

It becomes all the more critical, however, to explore the realities of “super-diversity” and ways for people to live with/in such a setting. In this context, this presentation considers the daily experiences and contacts of various migrants and local people in a place by taking up the case of Ikuno-ward, Osaka in Japan. Osaka is the second largest city in Japan and has been a so-called “post-colonial” city because many of the descendants of migrants from the Korean Peninsula in the colonial period have been living there for a long time. Specifically, Ikuno-ward is well-known as having the highest percentage of Koreans living in Japan. In addition, recently, the number of other migrants such as Chinese and Vietnamese have also been increasing, which has led to changing the area into a situation of “super-diversity.”

Based on the ongoing fieldwork, including about thirty interviews with migrants and local people living or working in the area, this research particularly focuses on how people with different backgrounds perceive the area differently as well as how they encounter each other and negotiate in physical spaces. It argues that while their recognition of the place is different and sometimes even polarized, they can get along with one another. Through these considerations, it suggests ways of coexisting among the heterogeneous in “super-diversity,” and the difficulties and possibilities of crossing the boundary between “us” and “them.”