Miki Kashiwa is a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Research Fellow, a researcher at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, and a PhD candidate at Kyoto University. She obtained a Master’s degree in Area Studies from Kyoto University in 2021. She is conducting research aimed at addressing the challenges of coexistence between immigrants and local residents, in response to the increasing number of immigrants in Japan. To achieve this, she is conducting fieldwork in Malaysia, a multi-ethnic country with a significant Indian diaspora.
Her primary focus is on the Chetti Melaka (Peranakan Indians), Indian immigrants who have arrived in Malaysia since the 15th century, intermarried with local people, and assimilated into the local culture.
Miki is the only Japanese member of the Pravasi Setu Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing migration and diaspora research. She shares and supports the founder, Mr. Prakash Kumar Jha’s, vision of focusing on inclusion and understanding in migration studies.
Her goal is to contribute to the growing body of research on immigration, particularly in Japan, where the Indian diaspora and other immigrant populations are increasing.
