滞留状況と移民企業家

ロサンゼルス日系移民の歴史社会学的考察から

抄録

The aim of this paper is to analyze the relation between the immigrant entrepreneurship and the long-term migratory process. The migratory process is often conceived of as a linear settlement process on the host society. In order to reconsider the process critically, I introduce the concept of sojourner defined as an immigrant who has an ambivalent orientation linking ‘temporary stay’ and ‘settlement’. Then I examine the historical development of Japanese immigrant entrepreneurs in Los Angeles focusing on their human or social capital and institutional support (“Kenjinkai” and rotating credit associations). By examining this historical case, Japanese immigrant entrepreneurs prolonged their stay paradoxically because of their sojourning situation. Finally I insist that the settlement process of sojourning immigrants should be considered as unintended consequences.