Immigration experience and public space

I was reading a short, interesting article about Filipina Immigrant Girls’ Lived Experience in Japan. Then I realised I was most interested in the mentioning of (emphasis mine):

“Most scholars focus on how immigrant youth are victimized by an assimilationist-oriented education system…But this focus allows only a small glimpse of their lived experience.

Yes, these teenage Filipino youth often struggle in their new homes and schools. Yet, a broader view of their experience reveals their human agency, possibilities, and how they personally navigate difficult and unequal structures. For example, Filipina teenage girls often gather at places such as Internet cafes, fast food restaurants, malls, Karaoke bars, or streets and use hybrid languages – a mix of Tagalog/English/Japanese… Activities in these spaces, which are themselves informally created by and for these Filipina youth, reveal their ability to navigate structural inequalities and to create a sense of belonging in a foreign environment.

Since the 1970s, educators, policy makers, and administrators in Japan have struggled to provide adequate support to help immigrant students thrive. But the kind of support that immigrant students themselves seek is most visible beyond the school and education system. Learning from these unstructured public spaces that are meaningful to youth would allow us to explore their potential as agents of social change and to expand the discourse about immigrant youth in Japan.”

Unstructured public spaces are essential in any living environment, whether it’s for the meetings held under large trees in the villages of Uganda or socializing on the pedestrian area near the harbour in Hong Kong. These spaces provide a sense of community to anybody who joins. It is the structure of the environment that facilitates these interactions. Sure, if there were no good public spaces, people would still meet because they need to, but it would not be the same experience. If you’ve ever compared a class discussion in a room where everyone had to face forward versus facing each other in a circle, you would understand how important space and orientation is for facilitating interaction. If there were no good public spaces, such meetings would be exclusive (you can’t join unless you knew the low down), out of sight (and therefore doesn’t exist), and out of mind (you never knew or cared about specific groups of people meeting).

Reflecting on a blog post on the perception of space in Dar es Salaam I wrote for Sustainable Cities International, I’m again reminded about how important public spaces are, especially multipurpose, inclusive, pedestrian-oriented spaces. It also saddens me that meeting people in public spaces isn’t really acceptable in the cultural norm of Hong Kong. Strangers rarely talk to each other if they are not introduced by a common acquaintance. Some Hong Kong residents I know actually dislike that the immigrant population (usually Filipina or Indonesian) “occupy” certain public spaces on the weekends for very large gatherings. The local Hong Kongers sometimes feel that the music is loud, the dancing strange, and are probably unconsciously uncomfortable about so many people speaking in languages which they don’t understand.

I’m happy these places are central and visible. I’m happy these places provide an informal support network that can’t be replaced, especially when you’re living abroad.