Summary

🌏 Conducted an in-depth ethnographic interview with a mixed-race Japanese individual, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and cultural experience.

This case study highlights my ability to conduct thoughtful, culturally sensitive research that goes beyond data collection to truly understand the human spirit.

Key Insights

🧩 Research Question

Investigated how being a visible minority in Japan shapes one’s sense of belonging, aiming to illuminate broader implications for migration and identity in a globalized world.

🌐 Participant Recruitment

Used my networking skills to identify a participant who represented my target demographic, building a meaningful connection that allowed for genuine storytelling.

📝 Research Proposal

Drafted a detailed research proposal outlining the study’s significance, methodology, and ethical considerations, ensuring the participant’s well-being and comfort throughout.

Methodology

🕊️ Ethical Considerations

Ensured informed consent and maintained strict confidentiality, creating a space where the participant felt heard and respected.

💻 Data Collection

Conducted a rich, semi-structured interview that delved deep into the participant’s lived experiences, complemented by thorough contextual notes capturing the subtle, often unspoken aspects of their story.

📚 Coding & Analysis

Created a detailed code book with descriptors, categorizing themes like language, discrimination, and resilience. This analytical framework allowed me to make sense of complex, nuanced narratives.

📝 Contextual Notes

Documented extensive field notes, emphasizing the cultural elements that shape identity and belonging. My rapid yet thorough note-taking ensured that no essential detail was lost.

Findings & Reflections

🌎 Key Narrative

The participant shared the profound impact of leaving Japan for places like Los Angeles, fulfilling a childhood promise inspired by his mother’s encouragement to see a bigger world.
This story, central to his sense of belonging and self-identity, was captured in my final essay, The Spirit of Kintsugi.

🎌 Cultural Themes

Uncovered themes of resilience, the impact of cultural heritage, and the struggle to navigate identity within and beyond Japan.

This case study showcases my ethnographic research capabilities, highlighting my skill in creating genuine connections and conducting in-depth analysis that engages with the human spirit on a profound level.

As part of my senior thesis for my B.A. in Anthropology I was tasked with conducting an ethnographic interview.

Interview Project

This ethnographic project focuses on the lived experiences of a young man whose alias is Anthony. Like myself, Anthony is a mixed-race individual who experienced a great deal of discrimination throughout his childhood.

However in many other ways, our lives are also different. For example Anthony was born and raised in the Japanese countryside, whereas I was raised in a small Canadian town. Nevertheless our common experiences with discrimination helped us to build bridges of empathy.

This project is a collaborative and democratic body of work. It does not speak for Anthony but speaks with Anthony and in so doing, helps to project his voice into a much bigger world. It is for that reason that I asked Anthony to review and approve the final ethnographic essay, which I called ‘the Spirit of Kintsugi’.

I invite you to view my work by following the link below.