DOCSLIB.ORG

Introduction

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Introduction Notes Introduction 1. Kamei Katsuichiro, "Giji shtikyo kokka." 2. Chamberlain, Invention of a New Religion, 6. 3. Quoted in Doak, "A Religious Perspective on the Yasukuni Controversy," 49, so. Doak has argued more recently that the Meiji constitution and its conditional guarantee of religious freedom produced "not a unique Shinto theocracy, but a kind of modern secular state that put a primacy on political controls over religion"; see Doak, "A Naked Public Square?" 189. 4. Hardacre, Shinto and the State, 18. s. See, for example, Bernstein, Modern Passings; Breen and Teeuwen, Shinto in History; Hardacre, Religion and Society in Nineteenth-Century Japan; Ketelaar, Of Heretics and M artyrs in Meiji Japan; Sawada, Practical Pursuits; Thai, Rearranging the Landscape of the Gods. 6. Inoue Kowashi, "Kyodoshoku haishi ikenan," in Inoue Kowashi den: Shiryo­ hen, 1: 389. 7· "Kyodoshoku haishi narabini shinbutsu kakushtiha mibun toriatsukai no ken," in Kobunroku 2A-ow-oo • i:-o36781oo. 8. The secular can stand prior to or in distinction from secularism as an ideo­ logical project; see Asad, Formations of the Secular, 16. 9· I use the term Shinto here heuristically, well aware of its anachronism. Be­ cause no clear sectarian framework preceded the disassociation, it is more accurate to describe the separation of Buddhas and kami. The slow and contested definition of Shinto as a composite of shrines and ritualists forms an important component of the history of religion in modern Japan. 10. Veer, Conversion to M odernities, 7· n. I have in mind particularly Sakamoto Koremaru's body of work, which is cited extensively throughout this book. 12. Holtom, Modern Japan and Shinto Nationalism. 13. Murakami, Kokka shinto, 225. 14. For representative expressions of this view, see Fujitani Toshio, "Kokka shinto no seiritsu," 289; Murakami Shigeyoshi, Kokka shinto, 225. For later formulations of Notes to Pages 6-20 their views on State Shinto, see Fujitani Toshio, Shinto shinko to minshu, tennosei, 175-237; and Murakami Shigeyoshi, Tennosei kokka to shukyo, 71-162. Nitta Hitoshi notes that most scholars do not fundamentally depart from Murakami's basic schema; Nitta, '"Kokka shinto'-ron no keifu," Kogakkan ronso 32, nos. 1 and 2 (Feb­ ruary and April1999). 15. Sheldon Garon, for example, warns against "invoking the emperor system as an all-encompassing explanation of modern Japanese history before 1945,'' because it implies too much stability and consistency in state policies and authority; Garon, Molding Japanese Minds, 62. 16. Sakamoto Koremaru, Kokka shinto keisei katei no kenkyu, 9-11, 305-10. 17. Fridell, "The Establishment of Shrine Shinto in Meiji Japan," 145,146, 161. 18. See, for example, Haga, Meiji ish in to shukyo, 5- 6; Yamaguchi, M eiji kokka to shukyo, 12-19; Isomae, Kindai nihon no shukyo gensetsu to sono keifu, 97-107. 19. See, for example, Veer and Lehmann, Nation and Religion; Yasumaru Yoshio, "Minshii shiikyo to 'kindai' to iu keiken." 20. Carl Becker provides an elegant and early articulation of this process in Heav­ enly City ofthe Eighteenth-Century Philosophers, 128-30. 21. Fitzgerald, Ideology of Religious Studies, 8. See also Asad, Formations of the Secular, 27- 28. 22. Viswanathan, Outside the Fold, 12. 23. Ibid., 16. 24. Foucault, "Technologies of the Self," 18. See also Foucault, "Governmentality." 25. Ito Yahiko, Meijin ish in to jinshin. See also Katsurajima Nobuhiro's discussion of the discourse of "capturing the hearts of the people" (jinshin shruran): Katsura­ jima, "Kindai tennosei ideologii no shiso katei," 217-46. 26. Antoni, "Introduction," 8. 27. Quoted in Yamaguchi, Meiji kokka to shukyo, 98. 28. See, for example, Aihara, "Yakugo 'shiikyo' no seiritsu"; Isomae, "Kindai ni okeru 'shiikyo' gainen no keisei katei," 161-96; Shimazono, '"Shukyo' to 'Religion"'; Suzuki, Meiji shukyo shicho no kenkyu, 13-17. 29. Hayashi, "Shiimon kara shiikyo he," 169-89. 30. As will be seen in subsequent chapters, the term shintO could be used in purely generic terms in early-Meiji Japan. Isomae, Kindai nihon no shukyo gensetsu to sono keifu, 33- 36. 31. See Sawada, Practical Pursuits. 32. Tanigawa, Meiji zenki no kyoiku, kyoka, bukkyo, 6- 9. 33. Howland, Translating the West, 6. 1. The Crisis of Conversion in Restoration Japan 1. See, for example, Haga, "Shinto kokkyosei no keisei''; Sakamoto Koremaru, "Kyobusho setchi ni kansuru ichi kosatsu"; Takagi Hiroshi, "Shinto kokkyoka sei­ saku hokaikatei." 2. Bob Wakabayashi observes that Shinron had "a political and social impact probably unmatched by any other single work during the final decades of bakufu rule"; Wakabayashi, Anti-Foreignism and Western Learning, ix. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Religion and the Secular State in Japan1
    KYOKO KIMPARA Religion and the Secular State in Japan1 I. SOCIAL CONTEXT The contemporary society of Japan appears to be comprised of both secular and religious influences. The reality is that the Japanese society reflects an ambivalent feeling towards religion shared by the majority of the Japanese people and is the key to understanding the social, political and legal context in the theme of “Religion and the Secular State.” In this setion of the report, both the current breakdown of religious affiliations in Japan and a brief historical explanation of the major religious traditions in Japan are given. According to the latest reliable statistics available concerning the religious affiliation of the Japanese, 51.2 percent are Shintoists (Shinto is traditional polytheistic religion of Japan), 43.3 percent are Buddhists, 1.0 percent are Christians, and 4.4 percent are other religions. The total number of Shintoists and Buddhists combined make up approximately two hundred million, which is almost twice as many as the total population of the country. How could that be explained? First, as the statistics are based on a questionnaire answered by religious communities, each community may have declared a number slightly more than actual membership. Another explanation could be the possibility that each community counted the number of people who had simply participated in some religious events of the community or worshipped in some way or other, even though there is no such clear-cut sign of one’s religious affiliation in Shinto and Buddhism as baptism is in Christianity. Many Japanese tend to participate in religious events of different religions, such as the New Year’s celebrations at Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples, Saint Valentine’s Day and Christmas Eve, romantic wedding ceremonies at Christian churches, and funeral ceremonies done in a Shintoist or Buddhist style.
    [Show full text]
  • The Enduring Ambiguities of Japan's Postwar Secularism
    THE ENDURING AMBIGUITIES OF JAPAN’S POSTWAR SECULARISM David Rangdrol Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctorate in Philosophy degree in Political Science School of Political Studies Faculty of Social Sciences University of Ottawa © David Rangdrol, Ottawa, Canada, 2018 ABSTRACT Following decades of state control of religion, a secular constitution was introduced in Japan in 1947, presenting favourable prospects for safeguarding freedom of conscience and equality. However, the vague language used in Articles 20 and 89 of the constitution arguably complicated the task of creating a strong, liberal secular regime. This thesis, therefore, will describe how institutional flaws have compounded the secularism-related challenges linked to the revival of Shinto’s public role in the postwar era, as well as the controversies surrounding the creation of a powerful Buddhism-based political party, the Komeito. In this regard, the Japanese case provides an opportunity to reflect on similar issues elsewhere in the world. Indeed, attempts at fostering citizens’ civic cohesion are being challenged in nation-states worldwide; on one hand, by the absolutist goals of religio-political movements, and on the other, by state-led constructions of national and religious identities. The Japanese case can especially contribute to the debates concerning the introduction of secularism in non-Western societies – notably where the notions used to articulate secularism, such as the religion–state dichotomy, either are absent or lack deep cultural and historical roots. By focusing on the impact of key ambiguities found at the core of Japan’s secular rules, the thesis will argue that institutional design choices, rather than cultural barriers, are responsible for some of the most important challenges confronting secularism in Japan today.
    [Show full text]
  • Emerging Japanese Nationalism and Its Correlations with the Collapse of Japan As a Family Nation 1
    EMERGING JAPANESE NATIONALISM AND ITS CORRELATIONS WITH THE COLLAPSE OF JAPAN AS A FAMILY NATION 1 ASPAC 2016 – Conference Paper ‘Emerging Japanese Nationalism and Its Correlations with the Collapse of Japan as a Family Nation’ Shingo Masunaga University of Turku Author Note Shingo Masunaga, Centre for East Asian Studies (CEAS), Department of Social Sciences, University of Turku. Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to Shingo Masunaga, Department of Social Sciences, University of Turku, 3A Arwidssoninkatu 20500, Turku, Republic of Finland. Contact: shingo.masunaga@utu.fi EMERGING JAPANESE NATIONALISM AND ITS CORRELATIONS WITH THE COLLAPSE OF JAPAN AS A FAMILY NATION 2 Abstract This article attempts to manifest future of Japanese nationalism through the traditional Shinto nationalism and the decades-long concept of ‘family nation’. The both are products of contemporary Shintoism hence mutually intertwined. In recent years, Japanese nationalists succeeded to integrate the family nation concept with their Shinto agenda. Through Professor Aiji Tanaka’s ‘Three Dimentional Coordinates Model (TDCM), it was found that the Shinto nationalists are less likely to repeat the historical mistakes of the pre-war State Shinto, however more prone to increase tensions, even wars, with neighbouring states than other ideologies. Literature Review Sato (2015) analysed the ‘national polity’ of Japan (Kokutai) based on the pre-war nationalist literature called the ‘True Meaning of National Polity’ (Kokutai no Hongi) written in 1939 by a group of Japanese scholars embraced by the Ministry of Education. He stressed the difference between the Western individualistic values ever since the enlightenment and traditional Japanese Shintoistic value. The former concept was named ‘Atom-like value’ (Atom-teki Sekaikan) by himself which means each individuals are isolated and freedom of the individuals must be prioritized.
    [Show full text]
  • Appropriation of Religion: the Re-Formation of the Korean Notion of Religion in Global Society
    Appropriation of Religion: The Re-formation of the Korean Notion of Religion in Global Society Kyuhoon Cho Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Religious Studies Department of Classics & Religious Studies Faculty of Arts University of Ottawa © Kyuhoon Cho, Ottawa, Canada, 2013 ABSTRACTS Appropriation of Religion: The Re-formation of the Korean Notion of Religion in Global Society By Kyuhoon Cho Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies, University of Ottawa, Canada Dr. Peter F. Beyer, Supervisor Dr. Lori G. Beaman, Co-supervisor This dissertation explores the reconfiguration of religion in modern global society with a focus on Koreans’ use of the category of religion. Using textual and structural analysis, this study examines how the notion of religion is structurally and semantically contextualized in the public sphere of modern Korea. I scrutinize the operation of the differentiated communication systems that produces a variety of discourses and imaginaries on religion and religions in modern Korea. Rather than narrowly define religion in terms of the consequence of religious or scientific projects, this dissertation shows the process in which the evolving societal systems such as politics, law, education, and mass media determine and re-determine what counts as religion in the emergence of a globalized Korea. I argue that, ever since the Western notion of religion was introduced to East Asia in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, religion was, unlike in China and Japan, constructed as a positive social component in Korea, because it was considered to be instrumental in maintaining Korean identity and modernizing the Korean nation in the new global context.
    [Show full text]
  • Theocracy Vs Constitutionalism in Japan Constitutional Amendment and the Return of Pre-War Shinto Nationalism
    The RSIS Working Paper series presents papers in a preliminary form and serves to stimulate comment and discussion. The views expressed in this publication are entirely those of the author(s), and do not represent the official position of RSIS. This publication may be reproduced electronically or in print with prior written permission obtained from RSIS and due credit given to the author(s) and RSIS. Please email RSISPublications@ntu.edu.sg for further editorial queries. NO. 310 THEOCRACY VS CONSTITUTIONALISM IN JAPAN CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT AND THE RETURN OF PRE-WAR SHINTO NATIONALISM NAOKO KUMADA S. RAJARATNAM SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES SINGAPORE 2 MAY 2018 About the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) was officially inaugurated on 1 January 2007. Prior to this, it was known as the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), which was established 10 years earlier, on 30 July 1996, by Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence. Dr Tony Tan later became the elected seventh President of the Republic of Singapore. Like its predecessor, RSIS was established as an autonomous entity within Nanyang Technological University (NTU). RSIS’ mission is to be a leading research and graduate teaching institution in strategic and international affairs in the Asia Pacific. To accomplish this mission, it will: Provide a rigorous professional graduate education with a strong practical emphasis Conduct policy-relevant research in defence, national security, international relations, strategic studies and diplomacy Foster a global network of like-minded professional schools Graduate Programmes RSIS offers a challenging graduate education in international affairs, taught by an international faculty of leading thinkers and practitioners.
    [Show full text]
  • July11nat 060711.Qxd 6/9/11 3:55 PM Page 1
    BTJuly11NAT_060711.qxd 6/9/11 3:55 PM Page 1 content for learning. context for living Bringing Baptists together 34 JULY 2011 baptiststoday.org Petra High place of sacrifice demands a response 4 NEW! BIBLE STUDIES for adults and youth 17 AUGUST LESSONS INSIDE BTJuly11NAT_060711.qxd 6/9/11 3:55 PM Page 2 contents July 2011 Vol. 29, No. 7 baptiststoday.org STAFF John D. Pierce Executive Editor editor@baptiststoday.org MAJOR Julie Steele Chief Operations Officer jsteele@baptiststoday.org CONFLICT Jackie B. Riley 30 Managing Editor jackie@baptiststoday.org PERSPECTIVES Tony W. Cartledge Contributing Editor In search and praise of imagination 7 cartledge@baptiststoday.org By John Pierce Bruce T. Gourley Communication the key to good transitions 9 Online Editor gourley@baptiststoday.org By Chris Gambill with Natalie Aho David Cassady Stewardship looks better from Church Resources Editor the ‘balcony’ 33 david@thefaithlab.com By John Hewett Steve DeVane Contributing Writer Cooperative missions changing, not dead 36 steve@baptiststoday.org By Steve Vernon Vickie Frayne Art Director Fellowship’s mission strategy not ‘radically Jannie Lister altered’ by UN goals 37 Office Assistant By Jack Glasgow jannie@baptiststoday.org COMMON CUP Kimberly L. Hovis 38 Marketing Associate kim@baptiststoday.org IN THE NEWS BAPTISTS CONVERGE 15 Walker Knight, Publisher Emeritus ‘Sujay’ sworn in as religious freedom envoy 11 Jack U. Harwell, Editor Emeritus Two-thirds of Americans OK with Mormon candidate 11 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MLK’s daughter leaves Atlanta-area Gary F. Eubanks,Marietta,Ga. (chairman) megachurch 11 Kelly L. Belcher,Spartanburg,S.C.,(vice chair) Z. Allen Abbott,Peachtree City,Ga.
    [Show full text]
  • Blasphemy and Sacrilege in a Multicultural Society
    Negotiating the Sacred Blasphemy and Sacrilege in a Multicultural Society Negotiating the Sacred Blasphemy and Sacrilege in a Multicultural Society ELIZABETH BURns COLEMAN AND KEVIN WHITE (EDITORS) Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: anuepress@anu.edu.au Web: http://epress.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Negotiating the sacred : blasphemy and sacrilege in a multicultural society. ISBN 1 920942 47 5. 1. Religion and sociology. 2. Offenses against religion. 3. Blasphemy. 4. Sacrilege. I. Coleman, Elizabeth Burns, 1961- . II. White, Kevin. 306.6 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Indexed by John Owen. Cover design by Teresa Prowse. Art work by Elizabeth Burns Coleman. This edition © 2006 ANU E Press Table of Contents Contributors vii Acknowledgements xi Chapter 1. Elizabeth Burns Coleman and Kevin White, Negotiating the sacred in multicultural societies 1 Section I. Religion, Sacrilege and Blasphemy in Australia Chapter 2. Suzanne Rutland, Negotiating religious dialogue: A response to the recent increase of anti-Semitism in Australia 17 Chapter 3. Helen Pringle, Are we capable of offending God? Taking blasphemy seriously 31 Chapter 4. Veronica Brady, A flaw in the nation-building process: Negotiating the sacred in our multicultural society 43 Chapter 5. Kuranda Seyit, The paradox of Islam and the challenges of modernity 51 Section II. Sacrilege and the Sacred Chapter 6. Elizabeth Burns Coleman and Kevin White, Stretching the sacred 65 Chapter 7.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies
    RELIGION AND SOCIETY IN ASIA Kuo (ed.) Kuo Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies Edited by Cheng-tian Kuo Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies Religion and Society in Asia The Religion and Society in Asia series presents state-of-the-art cross-disciplinary academic research on colonial, postcolonial and contemporary entanglements between the socio-political and the religious, including the politics of religion, throughout Asian societies. It thus explores how tenets of faith, ritual practices and religious authorities directly and indirectly impact on local moral geographies, identity politics, political parties, civil society organizations, economic interests, and the law. It brings into view how tenets of faith, ritual practices and religious authorities are in turn configured according to socio-political, economic as well as security interests. The series provides brand new comparative material on how notions of self and other as well as justice and the commonweal have been predicated upon ‘the religious’ in Asia since the colonial/imperialist period until today. Series Editors Martin Ramstedt, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle Stefania Travagnin, University of Groningen Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies Edited by Cheng-tian Kuo Amsterdam University Press This book is sponsored by the 2017 Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (Taiwan; SP002-D-16) and co-sponsored by the International Institute of Asian Studies (the Netherlands). Cover illustration: Chairman Mao Memorial Hall in Beijing © Cheng-tian Kuo Cover design: Coördesign, Leiden Typesetting: Crius Group, Hulshout Amsterdam University Press English-language titles are distributed in the US and Canada by the University of Chicago Press.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Religion 1
    History of Religion 1 History of Religion INTRODUCTION In the twentieth and into the twenty first century, the study of world religions has become increasingly important because of mass communications and the ease of travel. People from varied cultures are coming into increased contact. Additionally, acts of terror and war have necessitated a comprehensive understanding of the world’s major religions. This course is designed to aid the students in learning how people first developed what can be called religion. It will show how primitive religions evolved into the major ones of today. The basic beliefs of those major religions will be outlined. In today’s world of travel, terror, and communication, students will see how religion is playing an increasing role in political conflict at home and abroad. An understanding of why religion began, and what it is today can help to alleviate conflict, terrorism, and war and bring about peaceful understanding and eventual world peace. In this course, there will be no attempts to rate religions, criticize religion, or have one change any of their beliefs about religion. It is simply to help us understand ourselves and others to promote tolerance. As a one semester, academic, social studies elective, it is open to interested students. There will be research, oral projects using technology, tests, quizzes and homework. It will adhere to all the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards and Board of Education requirements. History of Religion 2 OBJECTIVES The New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards below have been edited to apply to this course of study. A. NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards For Social Studies STANDARD 6.1: ALL STUDENTS WILL UTILIZE HISTORICAL THINKING, PROBLEM SOLVING, AND RESEARCH SKILLS TO MAXIMIZE THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF CIVICS, HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, AND ECONOMICS.
    [Show full text]
  • Aspects of Shinto in Japanese Communication*
    Intercultural Communication Studies XII-4 2003 Asian Approaches to Human Communication Aspects of Shinto in Japanese Communication* Kazuya Hara Meikai University, Japan Abstract A person’s religious view is one of the elements that strongly influences his or her guiding principle in daily communication. In this essay, the author focuses on Shinto and attempts to conceptualize its influence on aspects of Japanese daily life and communication. First, the author reviews Shinto’s definitions, types of modern Shinto, the concept of kami (gods), the-other- world-views, reverence of nature, worship of ancestors, musubi (the mystical power of becoming or creation), and purity. Then, the author proposes two communication models based on a Shinto perspective: (1) kan’no (responding to nature as a deity) as intrapersonal communication; and (2) the sense of oneness with kami achieved by carrying mikoshi (a portable Shinto shrine) in matsuri festival. Introduction Sound human communication is being confronted with crises because of environmental disruption, superficial human relationships in society, or inhumane crimes. In such a time, it seems meaningful to rethink what we live by, and to what we owe our appreciation for our existence in this world. A person’s religious view is one of the elements that strongly influences his or her guiding principle in daily communication. For example, Wakimoto (1990) states that religious worldview not only inspires a person’s way of life, but also sways his or her value judgment and decision making. Among various religious and cultural views held, for most Japanese people, Shinto1 has had the greatest influence on their communication as the nucleus of their mental and behavioral culture with its simplicity (e.g., Irwin, 1996; Tsujimura, 1987).
    [Show full text]
  • China and Japan: Partners Or Permanent Rivals?
    China and Japan: Partners or Permanent Rivals? Willem van Kemenade November 2006 NETHERLANDS INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS CLINGENDAEL CIP-Data Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague Kemenade, Willem van China and Japan: Partners or Permanent Rivals? / Willem van Kemenade – The Hague, Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael. Clingendael Diplomacy Papers No. 9 ISBN-10: 90–5031–111-3 ISBN-13: 978-90-5031-111-3 Desk top publishing by Desiree Davidse Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael Clingendael Diplomatic Studies Programme Clingendael 7 2597 VH The Hague Phonenumber +31(0)70 - 3746628 Telefax +31(0)70 - 3746666 P.O. Box 93080 2509 AB The Hague E-mail: cdsp@clingendael.nl Website: http://www.clingendael.nl The Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael is an independent institute for research, training and public information on international affairs. It publishes the results of its own research projects and the monthly ‘Internationale Spectator’ and offers a broad range of courses and conferences covering a wide variety of international issues. It also maintains a library and documentation centre. © Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright-holders. Clingendael Institute, P.O. Box 93080, 2509 AB The Hague, The Netherlands. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Clingendael Diplomacy Paper is the combined product of three short- term research projects that I undertook from my base in Beijing in 2005 and 2006. The first involved a trip to Tokyo in April 2005 for a chapter on ‘The Political Economy of North-East Asian Integration’, which appeared in August 2005 as chapter 3 in a study commissioned by the Directorate- General External Relations (DG Relex) of the European Commission to the European Institute of Asian Studies in Brussels.
    [Show full text]
  • Everyday Fascism in Contemporary Japan Etsko Kasai
    Everyday Fascism in Contemporary Japan Etsko Kasai Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Columbia University 2013 ©2013 Etsko Kasai All rights reserved Abstract Everyday Fascism in Contemporary Japan Etsko Kasai This dissertation uses the concept of fascism in order to examine the socio-culture of contemporary Japan. Defined in terms of its commodity structure, fascism turns out to be a relevant concept to Japan not only prior to and during the Asia-Pacific War (1931-1945) but also from the postwar days to date. Against various forms of culturalism that claim that the country is essentially totalitarian and its culture is innately violent, I will argue that the country has shared fascist conditions with those other countries and regions that operate in the mode of mechanical reproduction. While the overall mode of mass-reproduction has been further articulated by different moments, such as late capitalism or post-modernism, the cultural and political condition of reducing singular lives and events into standardized forms has continued in these countries and regions roughly since the 1920s. My view will expand the horizon of studies of fascism, which has hitherto been limited to Europe between the two World Wars. At the same time, the view of fascism’s generality should not be blind to local inflections and historical specificities. In this dissertation, I will examine such trans-war Japanese institutions as the ideologies of emperorship, formation of the petty bourgeois class, and corporatist organizations of gender and locality.
    [Show full text]