Relações de gênero gob uma perspectiva diaspórica na formação da Associação Cultural Brasil-Japão da Paraíba

Abstract

The study analyzes the process of formation and consolidation of the Cultural Association Brazil–Japan of Paraíba (ACBJ/PB), with regard to the role of Nikkei and immigrant women in decision-making and in the organization of the association as a community, particularly in light of Yuval-Davis’s (1997) theoretical contribution on Gender and Nation. The aim of this work is to understand the position of Nikkei and immigrant women concerning the preservation of traditional Japanese culture in the capital of Paraíba. The factors “gender,” “ethnicity,” and “function” are the objects of analysis, revolving around the historical process of the ACBJ/PB’s formation and the lived experiences of the women who make up its membership, as well as their role in the dissemination and preservation of their ancestors’ culture in a diasporic context. The research methodology was qualitative, exploratory, and partially ethnographically based, combined with participant observation, and supported by interviews conducted with women who take part in the association. To complement the research, documents belonging to the association, reports on its formalization process, as well as journalistic and academic articles related to it were also used. The results were built from the perception of female leadership as fundamental to the creation and maintenance of the association up to the present day, particularly when considering their decision-making roles within the organizational system and their contribution to the dissemination of Japanese and Japanese-Brazilian culture in the capital of Paraíba.