Vanessa Tkotzyk

This research focuses on the sociocultural, structural, and identificatory integration of Japanese people as permanent residents of Germany. It focuses on the five biggest Japanese communities in Germany – Dusseldorf, Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, and Hamburg. This study’s research will consider Japanese migrants of various kinds, who are willing to remain in one of the aforementioned cities or in Germany:

a.      Expatriates, who have decided to remain.
b.      Japanese, with self-initiated emigration.
c.      Japanese, who have accompanied a spouse.
d.      Members of the Japanese ethnic community.

These focus groups will shed light on various aspects of the Japanese migrant experience in Germany and their integration to that culture. The following questions focus this research:

1.      To what extent do the Japanese permanent residents integrate into German society and the local Japanese community?
2.      In case of socio-economic loss in Japanese expatriate, “invisible migrant,” communities, does this change their status in German society and associated benefits? Do they consider this a disadvantage?
3.      Why do Japanese emigrate to Germany? Why do they choose to stay?

By engaging these questions and research topics, this study will fill a gap in the literature about Japanese migrants, especially in Europe and Germany in particular. It will also explore, for the first time, Japanese permanent residents in Germany.

10/2017-04/2018:

Research stay at the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai (Scholarship)

Since 10/2014:

PhD student at the Bonn International Graduate School – Oriental and Asian Studies (BIGS – OAS), Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.

10/2012-03/2015:

„Master of Arts in Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Asiens“, Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn

10/2011-09/2012:

„Bachelor of Arts Asienwissenschaften“, Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn;

03/2010-07/2010:
Study stay at Kansai University, Osaka

10/2007-09/2011:
„2 Fach Bachelor ASuK-Lateinische Philologie und KuGA-Japanisch“, Universität zu Köln

10/2016-09/2017:

Research Assistant, Department for Japanese and Korean Studies, Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, establishing an e-learning platform for „Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten in den Asienwissenschaften“

04/2015-09/2017:
Research Assistant, Department for Japanese and Korean Studies, Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn

10/2014-09/2015:
Temporary help, Japanisches Kulturinstitut Köln

08/2014-09/2014:
Internship, Yamaha Motors Co. Ltd., Iwata, Japan, (PROMOS-Scholarship)

09/2013-03/2015:
Research Assistant, Department for Japanese and Korean Studies, Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn

02/2012-03/2012:
Internship, Dieter Born Verlag, Bonn

10/2011-06/2012:
Member of AIESEC

Second Eurasian Doctoral Colloquium, Bonn (Germany), 05. – 07. October 2018

Presentation: Japanese Permanent Residents in Germany – Characteristics and Integration into German Society.

GSA, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA), 27. – 30. September 2018

Presentation: The Integration of Japanese Migrants into German Society through the Example of Dusseldorf.

Japanese Association for Migration Policy Studies (JAMPS), Nanzan University, Nagoya (Japan), 02. December 2017

Presentation: The Integration of Japanese Migrants into German Society: the Example of Dusseldorf.

Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai, Osaka (Japan), 22. March 2018

Presentation: ドイツの日本人永住者・特徴と社会への入り込み方 (Dauerhaftansässige Japaner*innen in Deutschland: Charakteristika und Integration in die Gesellschaft)

Tkotzyk, Vanessa (2020): The heterogeneous Japanese community in Dusseldorf and the question of social integration: more segregated than integrated?. In: Cho, Joanne Miyang (Hg.): German-East Asian Encounters and Entanglements. Affinity in Politics, Society and Culture since 1945. New York: Routledge (= Routledge Studies in Modern History; 75), p. 112-131.

Tkotzyk, Vanessa (2019): Othering unter japanischen Migrant*innen in Deutschland. In: Ölschleger, Hans Dieter und Ulrich Vollmer (Hg.): Jenseits von Orientalismus und Okzidentalismus. Sozial- und kulturwissenschaftliche Beiträge. Festschrift für Günther Distelrath zum sechzigsten Geburtstag von seinen Freunden und Kollegen. Bonn: Bier’sche Verlagsanstalt, S. 253-266.