Globalizing Japan: Society and Culture from a Multicultural Perspective
This course explores globalizing Japanese society and culture focusing on the multicultural aspects of Japanese society, from an anthropological perspective. The course critically looks at how Japanese society experiences transformations under the inflow of foreigners and of their culture, within the broader global context. students will reexamine the cultural politics of tradition and the belief in a "homogeneous" society in an effort to understand Japan as a dynamic and heterogeneous entity.
Towards MLO 2
Reflective Narrative
In this class we took a close and critical view of Japanese culture and the assumption that Japan is a homogeneous society. We accomplished this through field trips to cultural sites, such as Kobe's Chinatown, viewing of the Japanese film "Swallowtail Butterfly," and lecture and discussion of minority and immigrant groups in Japan, including the Ainu and Chinese immigrants. A paper analyzing "Swallowtail Butterfly," which focused on themes of immigration and making a place in a society that doesn't really want you, was one of our main projects.
The main knowledge I gained from this course is that Japan is not a homogeneous society and what makes a Japanese person consider someone else Japanese, which is very different from what makes an American consider somebody American.
In the future, I'd like to learn more about the minority groups of Japan and visit more multicultural places in Japan, like Kobe's Chinatown. I will keep reading about Japanese cultural groups and hopefully return to Japan one day.
The main knowledge I gained from this course is that Japan is not a homogeneous society and what makes a Japanese person consider someone else Japanese, which is very different from what makes an American consider somebody American.
In the future, I'd like to learn more about the minority groups of Japan and visit more multicultural places in Japan, like Kobe's Chinatown. I will keep reading about Japanese cultural groups and hopefully return to Japan one day.