Bifurcated incorporation and migrant social mobility in Japan
| Published date | 01 August 2023 |
| Author | Tristan Ivory |
| Date | 01 August 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13106 |
Department of International and Comparative
Labor, School of Industrial and Labor
Relations, Cornell University, Ithaca, New
York, USA
Correspondence
Tristan Ivory, Department of International and
Comparative Labor, School of Industrial and
Labor Relations, Cornell University, Ithaca,
NY, USA.
Email: ti92@cornell.edu
Abstract
The context of reception is crucial in establishing different
mobility pathways for migrants within host societies. Given
that access to government resources is increasingly reserved
for citizens and permanent residents and most states provide
relatively few avenues to naturalization or permanent resi-
dence, host country human capital and social networks
are often vital for upward social mobility. I use a variety of
research methods including 60 semi-structured interviews,
over 800 hour of participant and non-obtrusive observation,
and ethnography from a 14-month period in 2011–2012
in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area to investigate how
Sub-Saharan African migrants pursue mobility within Japa-
nese society. I theorize that there are two distinct groups
of long-term staying migrants in Japan: one initially incor-
porated as unskilled laborers and another initially incorpo-
rated as skilled laborers. Migrants initially incorporated as
skilled workers have comparatively greater access to state
resources and discretion to incorporate as individuals.
Migrants initially incorporated as unskilled laborers must
rely on the intervention of native-born individuals in order
to experience upward mobility. These findings suggest that
visa status is an important signal of initial migrant incorpo-
ration trajectory and a significant moderating factor for indi-
vidual outcomes and social mobility in Japan.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Bifurcated incorporation and migrant social
mobility in Japan
Tristan Ivory
DOI: 10.1111/imig.13106
Received: 6 April 2022 Revised: 3 September 2022 Accepted: 28 November 2022
305
© 2022 International Organization for Migration.
Int Migr. 2023;61:305–319. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/imig
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeStart Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting