87765 - Japanese Literature and Culture (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will have the theoretical and methodological instruments necessary for the analysis of the literary and cultural history of twentieth century Japan. A comparative approach will be favoured, taking also into account other forms of artistic expression (cinema , music, visual arts) in order to enhance understanding and critical reading of the cultural specificities of the country. Elaboration of complex analysis and formulation of autonomous reflections on specific research topics, proposed by the teacher, will also be stimulated.

Course contents

Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Japan

 
Michel Foucault argues that sexuality is a modern invention, and it is only with modernity that sexuality becomes an integral part of a person's identity. The aim of this course is to provide an overview of gender and sexuality in contemporary Japanese society. Through a variety of materials - theoretical and critical readings, documentaries, films, literary texts - we will reconstruct the processes by which gender and sexuality have been culturally constructed and experienced in the post-war Japan social-historical context.
Among the topics that will be addressed and discussed:
• The construction of woman as repository of Japanese cultural tradition and / or as dangerous 'other'
• The birth and evolution of the adolescent
• Intersections of gender, sexuality and ethnicity in contemporary literature.

No prior knowledge of Japan or the Japanese language is required.

Readings/Bibliography

Critical sources:

Henrietta Moore, ‘Understanding Sex and Gender’, in Ingold, Tim (ed.) Companion Encyclopedia of Anthropology, London - New York, Routledge, 1993 (2002)

Chiyo Saito, Interview and “What is Japanese Feminism?,” in Sandra Buckley (ed.), Broken Silence: Voices of Japanese Feminism, pp. 257-270, Berkeley, University of California Press, 1997.

Chizuko Ueno Interview and “Are Japanese Feminine?”, in Sandra Buckley (ed.), Broken Silence: Voices of Japanese Feminism, pp.272-301, Berkeley, University of California Press, 1997.

Lynne Nakano, ‘Single Women in Marriage and Employment Markets in Japan’, in Kawano, Satsuki, Glenda S. Roberts and Susan O. Long, Capturing Contemporary Japan, pp.163-182, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2014

J.E. Roberson, ‘Japanese Working Class Masculinities: Marginalized Complicity’, in Roberson, J.E and N. Suzuki (eds.), Men and Masculinities in Contemporary Japan: Dislocating the Salaryman Doxa, London and New York, Routledge 2003.

Emma E. Cook, ‘Expectations of Failure: Maturity and Masculinity for Freeters in Contemporary Japan‘, Social Science Japan Journal, 16(1), 2013, 29-43.

Tamagawa Masami, ‘Same Sex Marriage in Japan’, Journal of GLBT Family Studies 12(2), 2016, 160-187.

SPF Dale, ‘An Introduction to X-Jendā: Examining a New Gender Identity in Japan', Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific, Issue 31, 2012.

Aoyama Kaoru, ‘Migrants and the Sex Industry’, in Fujimura-Fanselow, Kumiko (ed), Transforming Japan: How Feminism and Diversity Are Making A Difference, The Feminist Press at CUNY, 2011, (Chapter 20).

Rhacel Salazar Parreñas, ‘The Indentured Mobility of Migrant Women: How Gendered Protectionist Laws Lead Filipina Hostesses to Forced Sexual Labor ’, J. Workplace Rights, 15(3-4), 2010-2011, 327-339.

Sharon Kinsella, ‘Narratives and Statistics: How Compensated Dating (enjo kōsai) was Sold’, in Goodman, R, Imoto, Y and T. Toivonen, A Sociology of Japanese Youth: From Returnees to NEETs, Routledge, 2012, Chapter 3

Alexandra Harney, ‘The Herbivore’s Dilemma’, 2009 http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2009/06/the_herbivores_dilemma.single.html

Louise Lim, ‘In Japan, ‘Herbivore’ Boys Subvert Ideas Of Manhood’, 2009 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120696816

Amanda Seaman, Reading Pregnancy in Low Fertility Japan, Honolulu, University of Hawai'i Press, 2017.

 

Primary sources:

Ekuni Kaori, Stella stellina, a cura di P. Scrolavezza, Atmosphere libri, Roma 2013

Kirino Natsuo, Grotesque, Neri Pozza, Milano, 2003

Uchida Shungiku, La fidanzata di Minami, Coconino Press, 2018

No geisha. Otto modi di essere donna nel Giappone di oggi,Mondadori, Milano, 2008

Murakami Ryu, Tokyo decadence, Mondadori, Milano, 2004

 

Film and documentary:

Murakami Ryu, Tokyo decadence, Giappone 1992

 

Other materials will be provided by the teacher during the lessons.

 

The Powerpoint files used during the course will be available for students on the course website (see 'Teaching material).

Teaching methods

The course will consist in lectures held by the teacher and seminars. A strong and active participation in class discussions by the students is warmly encouraged.

Assessment methods

The exam will be oral. The exam will test the student's ability to elaborate on the topics exposed in class, to show the knowledge acquired thorugh the study of the proposed bibliography, and their capability for critical thinking. A critical knowledge of the topics will be evaluated as excellent, while an excessive dependence on texts and manuals without any interpretative support will be evaluated with a positive but low score. The proven and repeated difficulty in creating logical and descriptive connections between cultural phenomena and proposed materials will result in an insufficient evaluation.

Teaching tools

Slides, video, multi-media supports. In addition to class lectures, a series of seminars held by national as well as international scholars will be organized, whose active involvement is part of the final exam.

The Powerpoint files used during the course will be available for students on the course website (see 'Teaching material).

Office hours

See the website of Paola Scrolavezza