日本研究演習 ( 英語 ) Ａ

Chris Burgess (1 号館 1308 研究室、内線 164)cburgess@tsuda.ac.jp

・ http://edu.tsuda.ac.jp/~cburgess

Shimoda port was opened to American trade under the conditions of the Convention of Kanagawa ( 米和親条約 ), negotiated by Commodore Matthew Perry and signed on March 31, 1854

The Black Ship

Festival in

Shimoda

Last Week: Nihonjinron

• 1) Japanese Society is “uniquely unique”

• 2) Group Orientation is the dominant cultural pattern in Japan

• 3) Is Nihonjinron-type literature necessary or unnecessary?

A form of defence or protection against Western imperialist

‘Japan bashing’? (=necessary)

A barrier to the proper understanding of Japan and

full internationalisation? (=unnecessary)

OR

Do we Need Nihonjinron?Yes! (Advantages) No! (Disadvantages)

(Largely) a ‘made-in-Japan’ indigenous discourse

Creates barriers to understanding (inscrutable)

Antidote/defence/protection against (years of) Western imperialist Japan-bashing

Distorted images of Japan is transmitted abroad: barrier to internationalisation

Recovery of national pride, confidence, and identity; attracts foreigners to Japan

Stress on unfounded stereotypes & generalisations (based on contrast with U.S.)

Creates unified national identity (patriotism/security)

Non-national identities & diversity (gender, class etc) ignored, minorities excluded

Alternative to Western Eurocentric thinking/concepts

Fails to problematise categories like “Nihonjin”

Do we Need Nihonjinron?Yes! (Advantages) No! (Disadvantages)

(Largely) a ‘made-in-Japan’ indigenous discourse

Creates barriers to understanding (inscrutable)

Antidote/defence/protection against (years of) Western imperialist Japan-bashing

Distorted images of Japan is transmitted abroad: barrier to internationalisation

Recovery of national pride, confidence, and identity; attracts foreigners to Japan

Stress on unfounded stereotypes & generalisations (based on contrast with U.S.)

Creates unified national identity (patriotism/security)

Non-national identities & diversity (gender, class etc) ignored, minorities excluded

Alternative to Western Eurocentric thinking/concepts

Fails to problematise categories like “Nihonjin”

2014 White Paper ( 平成 26 年版子ども・若者白書 )

「今を生きる若者の意識～国際比較からみえてくるもの」

• Only 61.6% have hope for the future ( 将来への希望 )

• Only 66.2% expect to feel happy at 40

Need for “moral education” in schools: Number of Japanese kids who think

they are “no good”

読売新聞２０１３・５・１１　ｐ。１３

愛国心教育 : Necessary or not?

Whether young people havepride in their nations or not

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Yes No

Whether young people havehope for their future or not

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Yes No idea Not at all

Asahi-Shimbun 2006

「自国への誇りを持っていますか」

「あなたは自分の将来に希望を持っていますか」

Patriotic Education

Would you fight for your Country?( もし仮にそういう事態になったら、あなたは進

んでわが国のために戦いますか )

2005 「世界価値観調査」http://www.tachibana-akira.com/2012/05/4242

Do we Need Nihonjinron?Yes! (Advantages) No! (Disadvantages)

(Largely) a ‘made-in-Japan’ indigenous discourse

Creates barriers to understanding (inscrutable)

Antidote/defence/protection against (years of) Western imperialist Japan-bashing

Distorted images of Japan is transmitted abroad: barrier to internationalisation

Recovery of national pride, confidence, and identity

Stress on unfounded stereotypes & generalisations (based on contrast with U.S.)

Creates unified national identity (patriotism/security)

Non-national identities & diversity (gender, class etc) ignored, minorities excluded

Alternative to Western Eurocentric thinking/concepts

Fails to problematise categories like “Nihonjin”

Japanese as ‘Uniquely Unique’ :Are Japanese 「 Asian 」 ?!?

• Classic manga by Kon

Satoshi

• Made into a movie by

Katsuhiro Ohtomo

• A Yakuza attempts to

evict a group of Asian foreign

students from a house… AV Library: DVD-2183

Nihonjinron

“Discussions of Japanese Identity”

Identity usually constructed (and controlled) through LABELS & CATEGORIES

e.g. ‘sarariman’ label(group-oriented society)

(1) ‘Uniquely unique’ (2) Group oriented

Social Categories or Buzzwords 流行語

「パラサイト」とは英語で「寄生」の意。「パラサイト・シングル」とは、「寄生している未婚者」。つまり、親の生活圏から自立できない独身の若者たちを指す

‘Parasite Singles’

1999

Number of Single Adults (20-34) Living with their Parents 1980-2012

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 2013

The “parasite single” category is a

good example of young people being

positioned as scapegoats, i.e.

blamed for society’s ills/problems

See < http://japanfocus.org/-Noritoshi-FURUICHI/3816 > for a good bilingual article on this

「若者奴隷」時代 “若肉老食 ( パラサイトシルバー )” 社会の到来 」 2010

奴隷 =slave

“Shopping Refugees”( かいもの　なんみん）

NO PERMANENT HOME ( ネットカフェ難民 )

'Net cafe refugee' population put at 5,400

Around 5,400 people with no fixed address spend their nights at 24-hour Internet cafes across Japan, of whom 27 percent are in their 20s, the health ministry said Tuesday.

Sakai Junko: Makeinu no Toboe

For a life less ordinary, try marrying an otaku

Wedding bells rang for my friend Yoshika six months ago and last night a bunch of us got together over drinks to hear all about it --

her new life as a wife to a genuine, full-fledged ota-yome

(wife of an otaku or "nerd").

Japan's 'herbivore men' ( 草食男子 )

• Coined by columnist Maki Fukasawa in 2006

• ‘Fragile’ men in their 20s and 30s, who are not interested in ‘flesh’ or making money

• Reaction against ‘salaryman’ model of masculinity?

• Describes 1 in 5 men??

そうしょく

c.f. Cabbage roll guys ( ロールキャベツ係男子）Asparagus bacon wrap type ( アスパラベーコン巻

係 )

=35.1% of 16-19 year old males!!!

These Labels or ‘Buzzwords’ often…• homogenise, stereotype, and mislead

– Often based on poor or no data/statistics

• denote a ‘problem’ group in society– Group feels ‘under attack’: rarely label themselves so

• contrast with the ‘traditional’ image of the ideal Japanese– Label can reflect view of how author thinks people should behave (e.g. 良妻賢母 )

• lag behind the actual phenomenon

• make the group appear unique to Japan

e.g. Parasite Singles

Are unmarried, working females who live with their parents really to blame for all Japan’s ills? And are they unique to Japan?

Comparative Perspective…

• In Italy, % of young adults living in parental households is larger than in Japan– this group do not represent a ‘problem’

• like Japan (and unlike the rest of Europe) the main reason that adult children leave home is to marry

• UK has KIPPERS (‘Kids in Parents’ Pockets Eroding Retirement Savings’)

GROUP WORK

Think of and define two contemporary social categories which describe and label

different groups in Japanese society

(BONUS: Int. Students introduce/define one category from their own country)

Conclusion: Avoid labels which are…

1. …emotionally charged and/or negative

2. …not based on academic research

3. …lacking a clear definition

日本研究演習 ( 英語 ) Ａ

Chris Burgess (1 号館 1308 研究室、内線 164)cburgess@tsuda.ac.jp

・ http://edu.tsuda.ac.jp/~cburgess

For more on Nihonjinron – http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/a

rticles/Burgess.html:

For more on whether ‘national character’ ( 国民性 ) exists or not, go to :

http://www.japanfocus.org/-Chris-Burgess/3310

• http://makingunmaking.tumblr.com/

Japan Creative Contest for Students to Express Japan

• Organised by adoir, a university student group (including Tsuda students!), and sponsored by the Japan Tourism Agency.

• The point of the competition was to express something unique and good about Japanese culture through a 30-second film or interactive Web media.

http://my-jpn.com/en

No Summer Report: Instead there will be a simple ‘test’ on

July 14th (the last class)• 25 multiple choice (2 points each)

– Select from a, b, c, or d.

• 2 mini English compositions (25 points each)– Choose from 8 questions

50pts

+

50pts

=

100ptsNo electronic dictionaries, books, or memos…