Commonplace and out-of-place diversities in London and Tokyo: migrant-run eateries as intercultural third places

Abstract

In global cities such as London and Tokyo, there are neighbourhoods where ethnic, religious, cultural and other forms of diversity associated with migration are commonplace and others where migrants are regarded as unusual or even out-of-place. In both types of contexts, migrant-run eateries are spaces in which people of various backgrounds interact. In some contexts, eateries may serve as ‘third places’ in which regular forms of intercultural conviviality occur, yet in others, interactions are civil but fleeting. This comparative paper is based on findings from two ethnographic neighbourhood studies in West Tokyo and East London. The Tokyo neighbourhood of Nishi-Ogikubo is one of emerging diversity, in which migrant entrepreneurship is rather new and uncommon, whereas East London has seen immigration for decades and migrant-run businesses are so common as to be taken-for-granted. In Tokyo the Japanese norms of ‘drinking communication’ in small eating and drinking spots inevitably involve migrant proprietors and their customers more deeply in social interactions. In East London, in contrast, intercultural interactions are much more commonplace in public and semi-public spaces, but in the case of migrant-run eateries, they are characterized by somewhat superficial encounters. This paper contributes to scholarship on the role of third places for intercultural relations, highlighting the importance of established cultural norms of interaction in specific third places. By comparing two vastly different contexts regarding the extent of immigration-related diversity, it demonstrates how encounters between residents of different backgrounds are deeply embedded in cultural norms of interaction in these places, and how migrant entrepreneurs in each context adapt to these established norms.

Shape the Enterprise, Shape the Life: Strategy of Living Life in Refuge as an Ethnic Entrepreneur in Light of Immaterial Labor

“…The study of Diniz et al (2019) highlights the impact of the social networks on the reception of refugee entrepreneurs in Brazil -based on the life history of a Syrian who started selling kibbehs in his religious community and currently runs his two ethnic restaurants -this being an important support strategy used during the implementation, development, and divulgence of the businesses, which also relates to a strategy for economic and social insertion. Wessendorf and Farrer (2021) indicate that restaurants are alternatives for common enterprises for immigrants, as the present research also shows, since they work as a point of interaction for people with different cultures, ethnicities, religions, and languages, even in places where the cultural diversity is still emerging. The authors explain that although the immigrant owners seek to adapt their enterprises to local cultural habits, food may an opportunity for their customers to get to know the cultural norms of the origin of the owners of the ethnic enterprises.…”

“…If what they bring as cultural baggage is considered as sellable, what they are and the situation they find themselves in also is -the fact they are Syrians and they are refugees makes them stand out in society, generating free media for their enterprises and arousing the curiosity of the local population. The ethnic food product, by serving both coethnic and native consumers (Idriss, 2021;Rahman et al, 2021;Zhou, 2004), reaffirms the food sector as a type of business that invites cultural diversity through the interaction of people from various origins (Diniz et al, 2019;Wessendorf & Farrer, 2021), which can contribute to the breaking down of stereotypes and preconceptions in relation to refugees. Their strategy for living life matches and mixes nuances of the wanderer and of the player and without planning life over the long run, it requires making the most of opportunities and the context of the "here and now."…”

Sustainable neighbourhood gastronomy: Tokyo independent restaurants facing crises

“…For customers, urban food scenes serve as “third places” that people visit between work and home, fostering social relations among customers and workers (Oldenburg, 1989; White, 2012; Taniguchi, 2017; Farrer, 2021). Neighbourhood food scenes also may serve as “cosmopolitan canopies,” where a wide variety of people engage in casual albeit usually fleeting intimacies (Anderson, 2011; Wessendorf and Farrer, 2021). Inhabiting “human scale” built environments .…”

(Con)figurar o Empreendimento, (Con)formar a Vida: Estratégia de Viver a Vida em Refúgio como Empreendedor Étnico à Luz do Trabalho Imaterial

“…Se o que eles trazem como bagagem cultural é considerado como vendável, também o é aquilo que eles são e a situação em que se encontram -o fato de serem sírios e estarem refugiados os destaca na sociedade, gerando mídia gratuita para os seus empreendimentos e despertando a curiosidade da população local. O produto alimentício étnico, ao atender tanto consumidores coétnicos quanto nativos (Idriss, 2021;Rahman et al, 2021;Zhou, 2004), reafirma o ramo alimentício como um tipo de negócio que convida à diversidade cultural pela interação de pessoas de diversas origens (Diniz et al, 2019;Wessendorf & Farrer, 2021), o que pode contribuir para a desconstrução de estereótipos e preconceitos em relação aos refugiados. Sua estratégia de viver a vida condiz e mescla nuances do errante e do jogador e sem projetar a vida a longo prazo, demanda aproveitar ao máximo as oportunidades e o contexto do "aqui e agora".…”