The Politics of Difference and Authenticity in the Practice of Okinawan Dance and Music in Osaka, Japan
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The Politics of Difference and Authenticity in the Practice of Okinawan Dance and Music in Osaka, Japan by Sumi Cho A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology) in the University of Michigan 2014 Doctoral Committee: Professor Jennifer E. Robertson, Chair Professor Kelly Askew Professor Gillian Feeley-Harnik Professor Markus Nornes © Sumi Cho All rights reserved 2014 For My Family ii Acknowledgments First of all, I would like to thank my advisor and dissertation chair, Professor Jennifer Robertson for her guidance, patience, and feedback throughout my long years as a PhD student. Her firm but caring guidance led me through hard times, and made this project see its completion. Her knowledge, professionalism, devotion, and insights have always been inspirations for me, which I hope I can emulate in my own work and teaching in the future. I also would like to thank Professors Gillian Feeley-Harnik and Kelly Askew for their academic and personal support for many years; they understood my challenges in creating a balance between family and work, and shared many insights from their firsthand experiences. I also thank Gillian for her constant and detailed writing advice through several semesters in her ethnolab workshop. I also am grateful to Professor Abé Markus Nornes for insightful comments and warm encouragement during my writing process. I appreciate teaching from professors Bruce Mannheim, the late Fernando Coronil, Damani Partridge, Gayle Rubin, Miriam Ticktin, Tom Trautmann, and Russell Bernard during my coursework period, which helped my research project to take shape in various ways. I also thank Professor William Kelly at Yale University for his guidance during my first year of study in the US. In Japan, I am indebted to numerous people for their generosity, insights, and intellectual feedback for many years since 1997. Professor Ito Abito at Tokyo University and Professor Tsuha Takashi at the University of the Ryukyus were extremely helpful during my initial phase of Okinawan research while I was in my MA program at Seoul National University. During my dissertation research in Osaka, I received intellectual feedback and practical support from scholars and students of the Department of Sociology, the Department of Geography, and the Urban Research Plaza at Osaka City University, where I stayed during my dissertation research period as a research fellow at the Urban Research Plaza, Osaka City University as part of its iii Global Center of Excellence Project, “Reinventing the Cities for Cultural Creativity and Social Inclusion,” funded by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Professors Mizuuchi Toshio and Tani Tomio, who were my advisors at Osaka City University, not only supported me with their generosity and hospitality, but also provided me with their deep knowledge of Osaka and of minorities in Osaka, and whose work I extensively drew on in this work. Professor Nakao Katsumi, who has now left Osaka City University, first gave me an opportunity to visit Osaka, which eventually became my field site. The ethnographic part of my work was possible thanks to Nakamura Noboru, Kaneshiro Munekazu, Nakamura Chinami, Nakamura Natsuki, Tamaki Toshinori, Kinjo Kaoru, Nakamura Kazufumi and Megumi, Moromizato Munehiro and Yoshimi, Miyazato Masanori and Masako, Nakata Junichi, Miyamoto Keizo and Kayoko, Kamiya Eishin and Yumi, Hirano Rina, Tamaki Ritsuko and Yoko, Kakihana Yoshimori, Gaja Minoru, Matsuura Tomoko, Funatomi Koji, Mrs. Sakuma, Mrs. Uehara, Mrs. Suzuki, Uechi Takeshi, Yamamoto Kuniaki, Nitta Misao, Uehara Yusuke, Oshiro Toshio, Kitakawa Kazue, Shiozaki Hitomi, Araki Saeko, Uegaki Shoko, Kagawa Kenji, Takesada Aya, Kang Yu, and many others I cannot list here who not only put up with my anthropological nosiness but even enjoyed my presence among them. I also appreciate the input from Dr. Hideki Sunagawa and Professor Ota Shimpei, my long-time colleagues and friends, who shared much precious knowledge on various topics and insights about my research data as academics and informants. Professors Terada Yoshitaka and Kishi Masahiko also shared their academic opinions from their own research experience with some of the groups I worked with in my research. My dissertation research and writing were supported by the following awards: Center for Japanese Studies Summer Fellowships; Center for Japanese Studies Endowment Fellowships; the National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science’s Global Center of Excellence Project; The Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant; and the Rackham Graduate School One Term Fellowship. I am indebted to my friends in anthropology, history, and anthropology and history, Daniel Birchok, Andrew Conroe, Junehui Ahn, Emily Hein, Jessica Robbins-Ruszkowski, Kelly Kirby, Tam Perry, Kelly Fayard, Anna Babel, Vanessa Will, Henrike Florusbosch, Jieun Kim, Chris Ames, Robin Nelson, Xochitl Ruiz, Cecilia Tomori, Janak Rai, Federico Helfgott, Erika iv Hoffmann-Dilloway, Tomomi Yamaguchi, Anne-Elise Lewallen, Josh Irizarry, Gabriele Koch, Ha Yeon Lee, John Thiel, Bridget Guarasci, Maria Alejandra Ferez, Clare Insel, Guillermo Salas, Sergio Miguel Huarcaya, Angela Harrison-Urlacher, Britt Halvorson, Elizabeth Falconi, Junko Teruyama, Sonia Das, Ujin Kim, Emanuela Grama, Josh Reno, Sonia Das, Anneeth Kaur and Elizabeth Papp Kamali. Also I would like to thank Laurie Marx, Debbie Fitch, Yuri Fukazawa and Azumi Ann Takata, who helped me navigate through different phases of my program with their practical knowledge. I would like to thank my teachers at Seoul National University who saw me taking my first steps as an anthropology student, Professors Gwang-gyu Lee, Sang-bok Han, Moon-woong Lee, Kwang-ok Kim, Han-seok Wang, and Myung-seok Oh. I am especially indebted to professor Kyung-soo Chun, who was my advisor during my college and graduate years, and who first introduced me to Okinawan studies. I would like to dedicate my dissertation to my late parents, Yong Ho Cho and Young Hee Kim, who were at the beginning of this academic and personal journey of mine, and gave me questions to answer and inspirations to pursue. My father always believed in me, which gave me the courage and determination to go through hard times long after he passed. I regret that my mother, who passed away only weeks before the completion of this dissertation, wasn’t able to see the end of my study, but I believe she would be happy that I was able to finish this work. This work is also for my parents-in-law, Won Sik Kim and Young Ok Ryu, who supported and cared for me with patience and understanding, as if they were my own parents. I am also deeply grateful to my sister Su Jung Cho and brother-in-law Cheol Woo Ryu, who took care of our mother in illness to her last days while I couldn’t be there for her – and for them – as much as I wanted to, allowing me to finish the work through the end. Finally, I am and will always be thankful to Dong Ju and Hajin who have been my anchors throughout. They kept me grounded for all these years, through tears and laughter. v Table of Contents Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ viii CHAPTER I: Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 PART I: DISCRIMINATION AND CULTURAL ACTIVISM CHAPTER II: Okinawans in Osaka: The Social and Geographical Configuration of Inequality and the Overdetermination of Stigma ........................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER III: Gajimaru Club ..................................................................................................... 68 CHAPTER IV: Taisho Okinawan Children’s Club .................................................................... 124 PART II: THE OKINAWA BOOM AND CULTURAL APPROPRIATION CHAPTER V: The Okinawa Boom and Okinawan Music ......................................................... 172 CHAPTER VI: Okinawaphiles and their Okinawan Hosts ........................................................ 211 CHAPTER VII: Tingāra: Gay Men’s Eisā ................................................................................. 243 CHAPTER VIII: Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 291 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 301 vi List of Figures Figures 1: Photo of the individuals displayed at the Jinruikan ……………………………………… 39 2: Okinawa’s position in East Asia ………………………………………………………… 61 3: The Ryukyu Islands ……………………………………………………………………… 61 4: The Kansai area …………………………………………………………………………… 62 5: Taisho Ward ……………………………………………………………………………… 63 6: Kubun-gwa, circa 1971…………………………………………………………………… 64 7: Kubun-gwa in the 1960s and 1970s ……………………………………………………… 65 8: Kubun-gwa