A Woman on the Boundary of Japan and America
In this podcast series, Veronica Ota is interviewed about her identity as a Japanese-American woman which gives listeners the opportunity to reflect upon Veronica’s family’s history in the United States, her mixed cultural identity, and her inter-religious and inter-cultural participation in American society. The mixed cultural identity that Veronica inhabits is common for many people, yet the stories of mixed cultural communities are still hardly ever told in mainstream media, especially narratives that come from a woman’s voice. Veronica makes clear that her mixed cultural identity as a Japanese-American leaves her feeling ambiguous in terms of her sense of belonging but at the same time it leaves her feeling empowered to better the communities she participates in. Veronica is able to find the best of the cultures she inhabits and believes that the virtues of Japanese and American culture can temper one another and produce a healthier way of living in the world. This podcast series is universally human as it takes seriously the life, story, and identity of Veronica in the midst of all the dynamics of reality she is faced with as a Japanese-American woman wrestling with her cultural and religious identities. Further, this podcast is for those who come from mixed cultural backgrounds looking for stories of those with similar experiences to their own. Lastly, this podcast is part of a series of global initiatives to make the voices of women and their participation in communal, cultural, and religious life more heard. I hope that this podcast deepens not only your understanding, respect, and questions for mixed cultural communities and the contributions of women to such communities but that you most importantly leave with a more caring heart. Thank you Veronica for the opportunity to interview you as my own spirit was given new and greater life by the words you shared. You are indeed a true image of the sacred. Blessings!
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Episodes
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Monday Dec 12, 2022
In this final episode, Veronica Ota will listen and offer reflections on the thoughts of the interviewer Samuel Gomora after he listened to her narrative from the first two episodes. Samuel speaks about what stood out most to him in hearing her story as a white male living in the United States. Veronica will also have the chance to ask Samuel her own questions regarding his understanding and grappling with mixed cultural communities.
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Monday Dec 12, 2022
In this second episode, Veronica Ota will tell us about her personal understanding of religion and spirituality that she formed with the influence of both Japanese and American religious attitudes. Veronica will help illuminate for us the image of God, the form of theology, and the manner of ministry that has arisen in her life as a result of her mixed cultural heritage. Veronica's religious attitude of respect and gratitude is from the multiple roots she embraces in her Japanese-American identity.
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Monday Dec 12, 2022
In this first episode, we will explore a yonsei (fourth-generation) woman's experience of being Japanese-American. Veronica Ota will tell us about her family history, the struggles that accompany her mixed cultural identity, and her experience of womanhood in the context of Japanese and American patriarchy. Veronica will help us deepen our understanding of the distinctions of the mixed cultural background of the Japanese-American community.