In April, the São Paulo Japan Foundation launched the fourth edition of “Japanese Studies in Brazil”, the result of updating and collecting information on academic researchers and research centers in Brazil dedicated to developing knowledge about Japan and libraries with a significant collection of books on the area of study.
In this new edition it is noted that this area of research is expanding in Brazil, with a significant increase in the number of researchers in relation to research data published in 1998. The publication confirms Brazil as having the largest contingent of researchers in “Studies Japanese” in Latin America. Statistics from the latest survey indicate that growth was around 39% in the period from 1998 to 2007, going from 95 to 132 active academic researchers. The second largest concentration is in Mexico, which, according to research data developed by the Colégio del México released in 2006, has 41 researchers.
The growth in the number of researchers in Brazil is an important and very positive fact, as it consolidates a base of researchers and multiplies the potential for expansion, as academic research work depends heavily on teachers who can stimulate and guide new students in “Japanese Studies ”. Therefore, the registration of 75 people including doctors (58), post-doctors and professors in this research is an important element, as it strengthens the capacity to multiply researchers in “Japanese Studies” in Brazil.
Another positive fact is the diversification of themes in academic production. There are imbalances, for example, research in political science, law, economics, philosophy and psychology is still carried out by a small number of researchers. However, the fact that academic work is being developed in different areas of knowledge contributes to a broad and diverse production that supports consultation, exchange and debate of information and ideas.
The diversification also draws attention due to the number of researchers of non-Japanese descent, which reaches 31%, that is, this group alone is already greater than the 38 researchers registered twenty years ago in the 1988 survey, signifying yet another sign of consolidation of the research base. “Japanese Studies” in Brazil. The growing involvement of non-Japanese descendants in the area is an important fact, as it demonstrates that it is an area of research open to anyone who wants to dedicate themselves to it and expands the possibility of involving new researchers. Therefore, expectations for a multiplication of researchers on “Japanese Studies” in Brazil are high, as more teachers means a greater possibility of incentives for more people to get involved in developing knowledge about Japan.
In parallel with the increase in the number of researchers, it is to be expected that there will be a redefinition of the identity of “Japanese Studies” in Brazil. Until the end of the 20th century, its development in Brazil was related to the large community in the country, estimated at around 1.3 million immigrants and descendants of Japanese. However, at least two elements – culture and language – indicate that the future of this area of research in Brazil can no longer depend on the motivations of the pioneers of “Japanese Studies” in Brazil.
Empirical data indicate that “Japanese Studies” was developed in the early days, due to the interest of Japanese immigrants and descendants in Brazil in the culture, history and other social aspects of their ancestors. However, Japanese descendants are increasingly being assimilated and assimilating Brazilian culture, making their interests in Japan similar to those of non-Japanese descendants. Therefore, the emotional ties that were important to boost “Japanese Studies” in Brazil during much of the 20th century are insufficient for the formation of research and researchers in this area in the 21st century.
There is a distancing of new generations of descendants in relation to immigrants and there is also cultural assimilation. With each new generation, the number of people who need to dedicate themselves to studying the Japanese language increases, bringing the Brazilian reality of “Japanese Studies” closer to that of other countries.
These factors can be seen as positive, as they will allow the creation of a new identity for “Japanese Studies” in Brazil, which should be more stable, based not only on the presence of a large community of Japanese descendants in the country, but on the growing interest of researching Japan. A concrete example of the repercussion of the development of interest among researchers is that of Mexico, which had 41 researchers in 2006, despite the population of immigrants and descendants being around 12 thousand people. This is a very significant result when compared to the 132 researchers in Brazil, which has a community of around 1.3 million immigrants and descendants.
Therefore, the results presented by the publication have an important meaning, as they reveal a multiplier base that should contribute to the growth in the number of researchers and to the continued redefinition of the identity of “Japanese Studies” in Brazil, motivated by deep and renewed interests.
* Brazilian Association of Japanese Studies (ABEJ), affiliated with Discover Nikkei, contributes this article to Discover Nikkei. ABEJ is a non-profit organization that brings together professors and researchers from different areas of knowledge about Japan, experts, students and people interested in Japanese issues.
© 2007 Alexandre Ratsuo Uehara
