ABSTRACT
This paper explores how values are expressed and intervene in discussions about national identity and diversity management in twenty-first century Japan and Europe. Taking the cases of Muslims in Belgium and mixed-blood Hafu in Japan, this paper first highlights the racialised construction of the internal Other and considers discourses of race as endorsing values and norms deeply rooted in political and media discourses. Non-conformity, be it physical or cultural, to such values could result in exclusion and marginalisation. This paper then examines how such discourses about values and identity can impact ‘othered’ individuals, sometimes leading to self-racialisation and reinforcing the us/them dichotomy. It concludes that the over-statement of cultural, religious or physical differences in public discourses in Japan and Belgium can be an obstacle to a more inclusive expression of citizenship and common values.
