「多文化共生｣ 言説をめぐるポリティクス

―多文化混交地域におけるマイノリティアクター間の接触と変容に着目して―

抄録

    This study sheds light on the dynamics associated with the deployment of the “multicultural coexistence” discourse by minorities that has received little scholarly attention. Specifically, it proposes a new research perspective for studies on multicultural coexistence.
    Growing social awareness and institutionalized promotion of multicultural coexistence in Japan reflects advancing progress toward a more multicultural society. However, previous studies have critiqued the deployment of this discourse by majorities to camouflage their dominance over minorities. While these critiques importantly highlight the risk of misuse, they can unintentionally reduce the benefits of sustaining the discourse, by impeding the introduction of measures for improving the social conditions of minorities.
    This study seeks to elucidate the potentially positive elements of the discourse by examinning how it is generated and used by three minority actors within the same community: a new Korean school, an Islamic mosque, and “Burakumin,” a culturally defined ethnic Japanese minority group. The transformations resulting from encounters among these three actors are the subject of this study.
    The main findings can be summarized as follows. First, the “multicultural coexistence” discourse was generated on the ground through positive relationships forged among these three minority actors. Second, these actors strategically deployed this discourse to revitalize the weakened local social network, encourage the majority-dominated society to revise their stigmatizing perceptions of them, and promote systemic reform leading to their improved social status.
    This study’s findings are significant, shedding light on the strategic deployment of the “multicultural coexistence” discourse by minorities. They importantly introduce a bi-directional perspective that can be applied in analyses of the use of the “multiculutral coexistence” discourse in interactions between majority and minority groups. Moreover, they highlight the importance of clarifying the positive aspects of this discourse that can foster cognitive and systematic changes required for developing a more inclusive society.