Japanese Popular Culture

Teaching Japan: Using Popular Culture for Critical Engagement

Dr. Mahua Bhattacharya Associate Professor of Japanese and Asian Studies Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA

Teaching Philosophy • •

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The first paradigm that shaped my pedagogy was the idea that the classroom should be an exciting place, never boring. bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom Culture is always plural, a set of cultures, some of which we are born into, some we design for ourselves, some we reject, and some we inhabit ambiguously; … the ‘we’ is created in and by these multiple cultures, as well as existing prior to them. John Whittier Treat, Contemporary Japan and Popular Culture

Why popular culture: Theories Does pop culture emerge from the people as “an autonomous expression of their interests and modes of experience” or is “imposed from above by those in positions of power as a type of social control”

Theories contd…. • Issue of Quality: Since pop culture appears in commodity forms, the “criteria of profitability and marketability take precedence over quality, artistry, integrity, and intellectual challenge”

Theories contd…. • The ideological role of popular culture also cause for concern. They feel that pop culture indoctrinates people to get them “to accept and adhere to ideas and values which ensure the continued dominance of those in more privileged positions” rather than being about “rebellion and opposition to the prevailing social order”

Why Anime/Manga? • This discussion is particularly relevant in our treatment of anime as a form of popular culture or mass culture in Japan and as a form of ‘subculture’ in America. Through anime, Japan has become a significant player in the ‘global cultural economy,’ says a major cultural theorist (Napier, 2001). Its reach extends around the world, from Korea and Taiwan to Southeast Asia all the way to Europe.

Anthropological Tool Anime and manga can be used as an anthropological tool in the classroom not only to understand the mindset and concerns of people in Japanese society, but also to critically engage students with issues plaguing other societies as well.

Compelling features of Anime • Powerful effects for a fraction of the cost of Disney. • Narrative distance. • High Tech look • Creative fantasy world • Genuine tension between ‘good’ and ‘evil’

Features contd… • Multidimensional characters • Powerful women

Japanese cultural values • • • • • • •

Wa (Harmony)- ‘deru kui wa utareru’ Honne and Tatemae Uchi and Soto Ambiguousness ‘aimai’ Modesty ‘kenson’ Shame: “miuchi no haji, ichizoku on haji” Patience and Diligence: ‘gaman to kinben

Values contd… • Giri to ninjo

Wa (harmony)