Directory
American Studies Cluster
| Name |
Fuminori MINAMIKAWA Professor (Doctoral Program) fminamik@mail.doshisha.ac.jp Researcher Database |
|---|---|
| Laboratory | Shikokan Building 266 (SK266) |
- ※
- Professor (Doctoral Program) also teaches the Master's Program.
Research Areas
Sociology,
Race and Ethnicity,
Migration Studies
Profile
My dissertation is about historical transformation of a Japanese immigrant community in the United States. Since then, my research has focused on three main themes. The first one is the making and development of multiculturalism in American society. In the 1990s, there were fierce controversies over the multiculturalism in the United States. I seek how social movement and policies created American multiculturalism and what are its possibilities and limitations by tracking its half-century history and the influences on racial and ethnic relations today. The second theme is the historical and comparative studies of immigration and citizenship policies. I have participated in the joint research projects on dual nationalities, citizenship, and nativism from a comparative perspective. Recently, I have been also interested in the comparison between the United States and Canada since I conducted research in the University of Toronto. The third one is the changes in Japanese American community after the World War II. Especially, I extend my dissertation research to studies on the Japanese community as a “multiracial urban community” of the West Coast and its trans-Pacific ties to postwar Japan.
Message to students
When I was a graduate student, I majored in sociology of immigration and multicultural society while joining in a seminar which specialized in American history. Through the learning from both fields, I had obtained a research method by which I pursue sociological interests with historical inquiries. I am still going back and forth between both fields and learning viewpoints and methodology respectively. Although “interdisciplinary” is often seen as “incompleteness” as an academic field, I am eager to challenge the subject of my research by enjoying the benefits of “incompleteness” between the disciplines. You will have wonderful opportunities to learn across disciplines, methods, periods, and regions in the Graduate School of Global Studies. Please don’t be afraid to be “incomplete.” I hope you will enjoy discussing with students and scholars in different fields and find the best way to seek your research interests.