The Significance of Manga in the Identity-Construction of Young American Adults: a Lacanian Approach
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The Significance of Manga in the Identity-Construction of Young American Adults: A Lacanian Approach Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Hsiao-ping Chen, M.A Graduate Program in Art Education The Ohio State University 2011 Dissertation Committee: Sydney Walker, Advisor Maureen Donovan Jennifer Eisenhauer Patricia Stuhr Copyright by Hsiao-ping Chen 2011 Abstract This dissertation examines the identity construction of five manga fans by exploring their creation of comics and their cosplay. Certain identity themes emerged through a Lacanian interpretation using a qualitative/interpretivist paradigm. Data collection relied primarily on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with participants, and included their cosplay photos as well as their manga drawings and stories. Specifically, Lacan’s concepts of the Imaginary, the Symbolic, and the Real were used to interpret these participants’ identities. The study showed not only that identity is not always determined by the Symbolic (conscious act), but also that it is governed by unconscious desire and fantasy (of the Real). While unconscious desire (Real) continues to break the fixibility of identity, the Symbolic remains an oppressed ruling Other that determines which identity is positive and which negative. The Imaginary is a most important outlet in terms of identity building for the subject, the freedom to make changes, and the power to heal one’s fixity against change (provide hope) in light of the Other’s gaze. Some of Lacan’s concepts—gaze, fantasy, desire/lack, camouflage—are also discussed by way of explaining identity-related themes. ii Dedication Dedicated to my parents— Chao-hong Chen and Fu-rong Chenlin iii Acknowledgments This research could not have been possible without many people’s support and encouragement. I have had the benefit and opportunity to learn from the members of the manga club, who shared with me how their manga knowledge and cosplay experiences reflect the meaning making of their identities and influence their own art practices. In addition, I am grateful to the members of my dissertation committee, who gave me valuable criticism and suggestions regarding the theoretical and methodological approaches used in this research. I owe my deepest appreciation to my committee chair, Dr. Sydney Walker for her ongoing support, continuous feedback, and the amount of time she put into this research. Her edits, comments, interpretations, and valuable critiques of the case studies have been key in my understanding of manga identity in the application of Lacanian theory. Without her, this dissertation would not have been completed. I would also wish to thank my formal advisor, Dr. Michael Parsons for helping me start to develop the dissertation idea and guiding me in the initial stages of my research; he taught me how to read and interpret texts in conducting interviews, particularly involving identity questions. I would like to thank Dr. Jennifer Eisenhauer’s insights and questions provided into the use of theory, and thank you to Dr. Patricia Stuhr for her reading of this dissertation and her willingness to serve as a committee member. iv I am grateful to Professor Maureen Donovan for providing a foundation of manga literature as a field of study, and her clarification added to my perception of the value of a historical and cultural understanding of manga as an important cultural genre when viewed in a different cultural context. I would like to thank Lien-fan Shen, Chien-hua Kuo, and Melanie Buffington, who have offered a steadfast source of friendship, emotional support, and intellectually engaging debate. Their scholarship and stimulating presence contributed in many ways to the shaping and understanding of self-identity as part of this research. Lastly, I thank my parents for their continuing support and belief in me. They have helped me develop beyond their expectations outside the confines of socio-cultural norms while supporting my desire to pursue my academic intellectual curiosity. v Vita May, 15, 1972 ................................................Born, Taipei, Taiwan 1998................................................................B.A. Art Education, The Ohio State University 2000................................................................M.A. Art Education, The Ohio State University 2000 to 2006 ..................................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Art Education, The Ohio State University 2006 to present ..............................................Instructor, Department of Art and Design, Grand Valley State University Publications 2009 Using Manga to Teach Superheroes: Implications for the Classroom. Colleagues Magazine, IV (II), 12-18. 2009 How to: Use Multimedia in Developing a Digital Portfolio in Visual Arts Classroom. In A. M. Vilas, A. S. Martín, M. González & J. A. M. González (Eds.), Research, reflections and innovations in integrating ICT in education (Vol. 3, pp. 1323-1325). Badajoz, Spain: FORMATEX. 2000 Master Thesis. The Development of an Art Education CD-Rom for Teaching Patterns Through Quilts. The Ohio State University. Columbus, OH. Fields of Study Major Field: Art Education Area of Emphasis: Computer Technology vi Table of Contents ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………............ii DEDICATION………………………………………………………………………….. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………..iv VITA……………………………………………………………………………………...vi LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………..xi LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………...xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY .......................................................................................... 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ......................................................................................... 4 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................ 6 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................... 9 OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTERS........................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................... 13 PART I............................................................................................................................ 13 MANGA’S ORIGINS AND CHARACTERISTICS................................................................... 13 ORIGINS OF SEX AND GENDER THEMES IN MANGA........................................................ 14 THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION ........................................................................................ 15 THE INFLUENCE OF WESTERN ART STYLES ................................................................... 16 MANGA’S CHARACTERISTICS ........................................................................................ 17 Manga as Comics...................................................................................................... 17 Visual Appearance.................................................................................................... 18 The Main Manga Genres .......................................................................................... 19 Common Manga Themes........................................................................................... 22 SUMMARY...................................................................................................................... 25 PART II .......................................................................................................................... 27 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES OF IDENTITY.................................................................... 27 A COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT VIEWS OF IDENTITY THEORIES ..................................... 27 Lacanian Identity vs. Modernism.............................................................................. 27 Lacanian Identity vs. Poststructuralism ................................................................... 28 Lacanian Identity vs. Postmodernism....................................................................... 28 Lacanian Identity vs. Postcolonialism ...................................................................... 29 LACANIAN THEORY ....................................................................................................... 30 The Real: The Core of Desire ................................................................................... 33 The Imaginary/Mirror: Total Identity as Misrecognition ......................................... 36 The Symbolic............................................................................................................ 39 SUMMARY...................................................................................................................... 43 vii FANTASY, DESIRE, AND THE ACT OF SEEING ................................................................. 44 Traversing the Fantasy ............................................................................................. 44 Desire ........................................................................................................................ 47 Objet a: Object Caused of Desire.............................................................................