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AnonymousTh article about Japanese immigration policy, helped explAined why they are a closed country to immigration. I have no idea that Japan had no birthright citizenship like the U.S. and Mexico. I guess is arrogant of me to think that all countries had the same policy.
AnonymousLecture by Stephen Cheung: LA World Trade Center
I was shocked at the size of LA county GDP, population, and containers coming in and out of both the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Even more surprising was the top 10 container ports in the world, #1-8 being ports in China, #9 in Dubai, and #10 in LA. It is also interesting to hear about the extreme trade imbalance and all the empty boxes that we are sending back to China. I think this was a bit of common knowledge, however, this imbalance was far greater than I imagined.
I am curious what the effects of a Panama Canal expansion could be on jobs and the amount of containers coming into LA and Long Beach. Is this expansion still a consideration or has it completely been abandoned?
AnonymousInteresting ideas about commercial farming in Africa for export to China. This could be a great opportunity for both parties. Yet the realities of current dynamics and lessons from the past should be discussed. In such arrangements there is the possibility for unattended consequences. The Irish Potato famine was so destructive for the local Irish who depended on one staple crop to feed their families on subsistence farming and millions starved although there was a striving commercial farming industry to continued to ship grains to Britain albeit eventually under armed guard. Also the successful commercial farms of Europeans that were confiscated by corrupt locals likewise caused famine for the locals.
AnonymousThere could be some interesting comparisons of immigration to Japan, Germany, and the United States. Japan and Germany appear to be historically monocultural. Immigration appears to only work when immigrants blend in fully to the dominant culture in both Japan and Germany. To not do this completely currently leaves one marginalized on the fringes of society or considered foreign. To have two cultural identities or more is not uncommon particularity in Los Angeles. This appears to not be the case in Japan currently and as the population declines and requires immigration these notions will have to be discussed.
AnonymousI was reading, "China's Second Continent," I could see why some people in Africa see the Chinese as taking over. I immediately thought of the European colonization of Africa that has had devastating effects in the whole continent. For a lot of African people foreigners had not have a positive impact on their countries. There is still a lot resentment towards foreigner, even if the Chinese are really trying to help Africa.
AnonymousThe historic issue of Chinese manpower is prevalent in the South China Morning Post article that details Chinese workers in Europe during World War I, and the heavy influence of Chinese workers in Russia during the war. The upcoming book on the issue written by Mark O'Neill demonstrates how Chinese workers were recruited by private Russian companies, and the exporting of people for the war effort. How does this compare to the importing of Chinese labor for U.S. railways? And, how often since World War I has there been a migration of Chinese manpower to help support other wars?
The South China Morning Post article on the Chinese volunteers who worked and fought in the Spanish Civil War sheds light on the otherwise European volunteers for the war. The East Asian nation has been involved in the historical events that shaped Europe in the 20th century. Why is attention coming to the Chinese workers only recently?
AnonymousPrior to reading this excerpt I never really considered Chinese nationals migrating to Sub-Saharan Africa. I know growing up in Hawaii, where there is a prevalence of Asian ethnicity and cultures present, and a lot of "history" taught about Asians in Hawaii (both pre and post statehood), I never once heard about Chinese migration elsewhere besides the continental US and Hawaii. When I traveled abroad during college, throughout Europe, it was so interesting to meet Chinese people in England, Scotland, Spain, Italy and France that didn't necessarily speak English like I did, but rather spoke only Chinese & Spanish or Chinese & French. This excerpt further opened my eyes to the reality that the "history" we're taught here in the states (even in a state as "diverse" as Hawaii) is always biased and limited to those who select the stories to tell. It's far too easy to stay stuck in a comfortable bubble.
Another thing that struck me is how "wealth" is so circumstantial and relative to those who have or don't have whatever the units that determine wealth are. In a somewhat traditional, or narrow, view of migration patterns I find myself reflecting on time spent in rural China in 2010 where I witnessed communities I perceived as poor or working class (through my American lens) but similar communities send people to Sub-Saharan Africa where they become the managers of people who may have considerably less wealth. Reading French's excerpt reminded me of cycles of exploitation and oppression throughout history.
A question I had was what happened to that promised $5 billion (to the AU)? Also, was there follow through with the 30 hospitals, 100 rural schools, training for 15,000 local professionals, and just how many "trade and economic" zones were created and maintained since 2001 in Sub-Saharan Africa. I guess that would lead to a great unit for a history or social studies class, or even an econ class: to research foreign investments and infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa between the late 20th century and now.
edited by gtyau on 7/25/2016
AnonymousYou bring up a really good point about lax immigration in the U.S. because at least the U.S. is allowing people in at all in comparison. It’s not a perfect system (immigration law is so convoluted and there are so many ways to bypass the laws), but at least we’re not completely barring people from entering.
Something I was also thinking about were potential reasons for why Japan is hesitant to let Chinese people in. I know that during WWII, Japan occupied China because it was trying to be the imperialist/leaders of the East. After the war ended, Japan lost face, and I wonder if that has any effect on their perceptions of Chinese immigrants. Japan might not want to admit that they need Chinese help because it would mean that China has successfully claimed that title they wanted. Granted, I don’t know if this is true; it is just conjecture. This is where I would like to know more about Japanese culture and Japanese-Chinese relations to have a more informed opinion.
edited by victoriachan on 7/25/2016
AnonymousReading the Marsh's article about interracial marriage in Guanzhou in conjunction with the two articles about immigration in Japan (Yoshida & Smith) made me think about this: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/9/9/hafu-in-japan-mixed-race.html
I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with this post, but just wanted to share a connection. The idea of mixed-race, or "hapa" (in the pidgin vernacular from Hawaii where I grew up), is something that really hasn't permeated the zeitgeist as much as I thought it would. We're still very much stuck in a binary discussion of race (ethnic), despite taking huge steps in terms of gender. Nationalism allows discussions about race to sometimes stay to the surface too much, keeping members of the discussion emotionally safe.
Something I would pose to my class is to invite my students to self-identify their "race" but distinctly separating ethnicity from culture. Then I would ask them which one is more valuable? What's better, being "American" or "_____ American", or "_________" without an American tag? Where are those who might have multiple nationalities in the conversation?
I also really want my students to develop more awareness of the hierarchy that they are a part of, ethnically and culturally speaking, and how socio-economic diversity is directly linked with (for lack of better words) skin tone, in a lot of areas of the world. Then I want to challenge them to really think about who benefits from the race vs. post-race discussions we're starting to have.
AnonymousIn the morning session, professor Clayton Dube discussed in the "movement" of goods, services, and especially people. What are the root causes of migration? With the reading on the Japanese population decline and the need for foreign workers, the Japanese government is considering more guest workers, and changing rules for permanent residents. Is it enough for the dire need of people? Japan wants a solution, but the government does not seem ready for the difficult decisions that it will have to make in the next 20 years.
The book by Howard French, China's Second Continent, describes the "empire" of a million Chinese migrants, and the conflict/resentment that ferments throughout certain regions. The excerpt further details the harsh conditions of cultivating land and making a home for migrants. The movement of people and the conflict that it brings is evident in much news in Europe and the U.S., but we never hear about the migration of Chinese to Africa, or African migrating to China. In the article about Afro-Chinese marriages in Guangzhou, the author describes African merchants who marry Chinese but are not given citizenship. The children are given citizenship and it has created the new mixed race. But, tensions do flair in China regarding the African migrants when it comes to marriage of Chinese women, and the difficulty for Africans to assimilate into the Chinese culture. This is another example of the difficulty in the "movement" of people that is seen in Africa and China.
AnonymousHi 
I was actually shocked when I first found out about birthright citizenship in other countries because Korea/China(as far as I know)/Japan do not acknowledge it (and I grew up in Korea).
I do not have a great answer for China's case, but I know exactly why Korea does not acknowledge it and I can guess why Japan is the same way.
As many people know, China is a quite diverse nation, and their cultural tolerance is actually much higher than Korea and/or Japan (at least this is how I have felt). However, Korea and Japan are ethnically the most homogeneous nations in the world (Please refer https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/05/16/a-revealing-map-of-the-worlds-most-and-least-ethnically-diverse-countries/ ), and the stability of their nation and ethnic identities has been firm for more than 1,000 years old (Japan can be arguable). For example, Korean peninsula's borderline between Korea and China had not been changed a lot since 10th century.
I believe that this stability has assured Koreans and Japanese people that who Korean/Japanese people should be, "purebred".
AnonymousI don't know how helpful this would be, but I will share it anyways.
A year ago, I was asked to have a presentation about Korean students' life to 7th graders, and I used this presentation. You can probably grasp what kind hell-ish lifestyle Korean students are forced to have.
https://1drv.ms/p/s!AkctKlLiGdQ0iQJHXiMubh-RQvbq
AnonymousThat first article, the story of the Chinese man who went to Mozambique, reminds me greatly of the colonization of the New World. Basically, it seemed like the Chinese didn't care whose land they were taking or why and they didn't care about the others who were grabbing land either. They just wanted to find a place to establish their own domain & rule over others. Sad to see that this mentality still persists in the 21st century...
AnonymousHaving many students with families still in Korea, I was shocked to hear how school went there & how glad they are to be in American schools. To tell you the truth, I wish we could at least adopt a few ideas like the students cleaning classrooms & such, especially with LAUSD mandating that custodial staff spend no more than 2 minutes per day in each classroom. That leaves our rooms a complete failure according to health inspectors.
edited by jschilp on 7/25/2016
edited by jschilp on 7/25/2016
AnonymousI was also shocked to hear how massive the GDP for LA is. As mentioned, we all just think Hollywood or beautiful beaches but not many think of the sheer magnitude of money that passes through LA/LB harbors. It makes me happier being an Angelino knowing how much the world relies on our ports. I think this is such uncommon knowledge but if more people knew about it - especially certain groups out there - LA might just be a target for you-know-what.
The one point that kind of saddened me was the mention of the massive amount of empty containers going back to China. We are such a consumer culture that we don't even care what it is. We just want to fill our "needs" rather than fill our lives with the richness of others and experiences. This is why I've been drawn to Taoism & Confucianism for so long. The ideals in these philosophies are so rich in interactions with people & nature while divorcing themselves from desire & commerce. This is definitely a point I'll be bringing up for discussion & interpretation in my classes. I just wonder if my students will realize the pitfalls of "getting and spending" (Wordsworth, "The World Is Too Much With Us") and stop to appreciate the natural world or their families any more than they do now.