Identities in Flux: Social Media as Insight into Cultural Identity - A Case Study of Japanese-Brazilian migrants in Belém, Brazil

Abstract

This thesis examines cultural identity formation and preservation among Japanese-Brazilian immigrants (Nikkei) in the Amazonian city of Belém, Brazil. The thesis builds on studies documenting Nikkei migration, cultural maintenance, and changes occurring since the early 1900s in Brazil. The principal focus of this proposal is engagement with social media. Within this context, I focus on music and its role in cultural identity formation, preservation, and/or acculturation. The study combines online research (netnography) with offline qualitative and ethnographic methods. The research occurred during my five-month internship at the Museum Paraense Emílio Goeldi (or Goeldi Museum) in Belém, Brazil, as part of an MTSU Study Abroad semester program.