Based on the concept of ‘transnationalism from below’, the paper examines transnational activities of a small group of Nepali immigrants who have overstayed their visas in Tokai, central Japan. It reveals how their cultural, economic, and political activities at the grassroots re-affirm their cultural identities as Nepalis and strengthen their group solidarity against shared injustice and vulnerabilities. This paper is based on research that was conducted over a period of six years in Kathmandu and Japan. While select returnees and undocumented workers in Japan were interviewed, the author also observed community affairs and participated in organised activities. The study highlights the importance of transnational activities in enabling immigrants to exercise their agency and governance in the backdrop of unbridled global capitalism. It finds Nepali transnationalism to be rooted in shared identity and social capital and Nepali-Japanese grassroots alliances to have created a shared space for immigrants and citizens to collaboratively counter global and local inequality. It also points to the existing inconsistencies in Japanese immigration policies and practices that draw illegal Asian workers to Japan.

Yamanaka, K. 2003. In K. MacKinnon (ed.) Kroeber Anthropological Society Papers. No. 89/90 - Behind Many Masks: Gerald Berreman and Berkeley Anthropology, 1959-2001. 146-167. California: University of California.