A mosque without a community?: Muslim lives in multicultural Japan
type: CreativeWork
description: For many Muslim migrants, Japan presents numerous opportunities for upward social, professional, and economic mobility. But what do those opportunities look like? Research on migrants in Japan often focuses on issues of "race" and culture, yet the role of religion is comparatively less well understood. What does it mean to be a Muslim in a "secular" country that also lacks a strong culturally Christian influence? How is life for Muslim migrants in Japan both similar to and yet different from other parts of the global North? And although Muslim migrants face similar issues living in Japan (e.g., language barriers, "eating halal," daily prayer), how they navigate those challenges often reflects their individual sensibilities, priorities, resources, and circumstances. Drawing on the anthropology of Islam, migration and Japan, this dissertation examines how Muslim migrants navigate their religious lives alongside personal and professional obligations in a "secular," non-Western society. In doing so, it demonstrates the value of intersectional analysis in understanding how global and local Japanese perceptions of "race," culture, and religion shape the opportunities and challenges a small but growing number of "foreigners" encounter in Japanese society.
abstract: For many Muslim migrants, Japan presents numerous opportunities for upward social, professional, and economic mobility. But what do those opportunities look like? Research on migrants in Japan often focuses on issues of "race" and culture, yet the role of religion is comparatively less well understood. What does it mean to be a Muslim in a "secular" country that also lacks a strong culturally Christian influence? How is life for Muslim migrants in Japan both similar to and yet different from other parts of the global North? And although Muslim migrants face similar issues living in Japan (e.g., language barriers, "eating halal," daily prayer), how they navigate those challenges often reflects their individual sensibilities, priorities, resources, and circumstances. Drawing on the anthropology of Islam, migration and Japan, this dissertation examines how Muslim migrants navigate their religious lives alongside personal and professional obligations in a "secular," non-Western society. In doing so, it demonstrates the value of intersectional analysis in understanding how global and local Japanese perceptions of "race," culture, and religion shape the opportunities and challenges a small but growing number of "foreigners" encounter in Japanese society.
author: Ostermiller, John
language: en_US
language: English
keywords: Islam, Japan, migration, multiculturalism, religion, secularism
date published: 2025
date modified: 2026-07-27T21:46:19Z
provider: University of Nevada - Reno
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Nevada - Reno