Race Beyond Borders: Japanese Migration to Chile, 1900-1950

This project examines the history of Japanese migration to Chile in the first half of the twentieth century. This was my first time researching in Chile. My research seeks to illuminate this narrative and asks the question of how Japanese migration influenced the broader relationship between race and Chilean society in the early twentieth century. I pursued this topic by conducting documentary research in various Chilean archives. The unique approach of this project is to consider Latin America as part of an international context with international actors. I learned a lot on this trip about both the topic I wanted to study and also about how to do research in Latin America. My advice for anyone else seeking to conduct similar research would be to have patience in the research process and get to know researchers in the country in which you are studying. I am hoping to turn my research into an article-length research paper.