I have been conducting research on the Nikkei community in Peru and Latin American migrants in Japan for several years. My research interests focus on the process of settlement and the education of the migrants’ children. I am motivated to pursue this study from both, professional and personal reasons. Being a third-generation Peruvian-Japanese, born and brought up in Lima, and having the experience of studying as a graduate student and working as an academic in Japan have given me an invaluable personal experience and the chance to conduct an extensive and in-depth research in Peru and Japan.
My teaching career and interests in foreign languages, in addition to my background in migration studies inspired me to combine these topics in my research on Spanish as a heritage language (HL). The definition of this term (HL) includes not only the migrants’ languages, but also the national minority and aboriginal languages. Each group is characterized by a variety of socio-historical and economic-political elements within a complex distinction between majority and minority status.
In my research, I mainly examine the migrants’ language spoken by the family and the community members, different from the majority language. Although some communities and generations are reluctant to give up their heritage languages, research outcomes show that they are difficult to maintain and young generations faced communication problems with their parents and family members. I focus my research on how children who grow up in Japan have problems in maintaining their Spanish language skills that produce a shift to the majority language and their gradual loss of their heritage language while being assimilated into Japanese society. The acquisition of the majority language can help the second and following generations to climb the social ladder, but careful attention should be given to avoid losing their language and culture, which are an essential part of their identity.
Language is one of the elements that facilitates communication and promote the integration of people in our multicultural societies. Through our researches and our discussions we can contribute to create more open minded societies, not only learning from each other, but also respecting and preserving the migrants’ languages and cultures. Instead of being a burden for educational authorities and teachers; foreign languages are significant factors in multicultural societies, as Benmamoun, Montrul, and Polinsky (UCLA, National Heritage Language Resource Center, 2010) point out “heritage speakers can be a resource of communication skills that benefit the nation in an increasingly globalized world.”
Areas of specialization and interest
The Nikkei Community in Peru/Latin American migrants in Japan
Heritage Language / majority and minorities languages
Migrants’ language maintenance and language shift
Foreign languages education / Spanish as a second language in Japan
The linguistic capital of heritage language speakers
Keywords for research and education
- Multicultural and multilingual education
- Migration and education
- Second language acquisition
- Spanish as a second language
- Heritage language speakers
Major research achievements
- The Nikkei Community of Peru: Settlement and Development, International Institute of Language and Culture Studies, Ritsumeikan University, 18(3) 79-94. February 2007.
- Community Initiatives to Maintain Spanish as a Heritage Language in Japan, Waseda Global Forum, 11, 177-198, 2015, 2014.
- Japanese Language Education in the Nikkei Community in Peru, Waseda Global Forum, 13, 77-99, 2016.
- Mantengamos nuestra lengua y cultura. Tokyo: Kohgakusha. December 2017.
- New Frontiers in English Education in Japan. Tokyo: Kohgakusha. March, 2018.
Links
http://vu.sfc.keio.ac.jp/faculty_profile/cgi/f_profile_e.cgi?id=aa4d88d072b087a1