3年ゼミ Worksheet (Iwabuchi: Cultural Studies)

[Nihonjinron: what is it and what does it do? Note how the main function of (re)creating a positive national identity is also the same goal of “Cool Japan” – creating a favourable view or positive image of Japan abroad – though pop culture aims for universal appeal whereas Nihonjinron stresses uniqueness]

Define “popular culture”[cf High culture – educated elite] and give 2 or 3 examples’:

Def.Hollywood, TV, pop, romantic fiction, newspapers, mags, manga, anime, video game

e.g. consumer culture that is cheap/easily accessible/appeals to a wide audience (familiar/universal)

Iwabuchi thinks that the recent interest in Japanese popular culture is good because...

it overcomes the dominant nihonjinron stereotypical images of the Japanese, encouraging cross-cultural exchanges, connections, and dialogue, and displacing particularistic notions of ‘Japaneseness’, thereby DIVERSIFYING our view of Japanese culture and society (leading to a better understanding of society)

However, he also warns that the study of popular culture can also produce (unrepresentative) stereotypes. We need to remember that culture is...

POLITICAL/IDEOLOGICAL! it is entangled with power relations. Need to consider why some images are selected as typical (the true or real Japan – what is the “True” Japan??) while others are excluded (such as Ainu – cf Australia). Site of contestation.

The Japanese government invests a lot of money into anime manga (PTO). Why?

FINANCE =stimulate the economy/economic growth; IMAGE (soft power – influences behaviour of others who admire Japan’s values, ideals, policies) promotes cultural diplomacy, improves Japanese reputation abroad, presents a warm/human face of Japan [role in suppressing, soothing memories of Japanese imperialism??]

How ‘Japanese’ is Japanese pop. culture? Do anime characters tend to look Japanese? Give some examples of cultural products which (a) have and (b) lack “Japaneseness”

Disney vs Miyazaki (Osamu Tezuka strongly influenced by Disney!), adult themes in SF/Ghibli, Evangelion, What nationality is Sailor Moon, Doraemon, Hello Kitty (Hong Kong), Crayon-Shin-chan? Perhaps the success of J. pop culture is in its very odorlessness??

英語 / 日本語
odourless(ness) / 無臭（性）
soft power / “the ability to get what you want through attraction & persuasion rather than threats of coercion/offers of payment”
production / 生産, 産出, 製造
consumption / 消費
transnational / 国家［民族］を越えた
cultural imperialism / 文化帝国主義
cultural (public) diplomacy / 文化(パブリック)外交
contestation / 論争; 係争

“What needs to be remembered is the simple fact that popular culture is a site of political contestation. No popular cultural form either equally stands for Japanese culture or is unvaryingly consumed in Japan.” Iwabuchi, p.2

3年ゼミ2018.05.14