MEDS 383 - Race in Japanese Literature and Media

1 unit(s)

(Same as ASIA 383 and JAPA 383) What does it mean to be “Japanese”? This course examines texts and visual media that have posed this question over the last three centuries, ranging from early attempts to distinguish Japanese culture from Chinese influences in the 18th century, through modernization and global war, and ending in the modern day. Students ask: how did Western race theory and its idea racial hierarchy influence the construction of national and racial identity in Japan? How was race leveraged during Japan’s imperial expansion into Asia and during WWII? How does “whiteness” and “blackness” function in modern Japan in comparison with the United States? How have minority groups living in Japan (the burakumin community, Ainu native peoples, Zainichi Koreans, immigrant workers, etc.) been marginalized and excluded from “Japaneseness”? Materials include both critical readings on the theory and history of race and ethnicity, as well as primary sources in English translation including essays, fiction, film, and animation.

Prerequisite(s): One 200-level course in language, literature, culture or Asian Studies, or permission of the instructor.

One 2-hour period.

Not offered in 2022/23.

Course Format: CLS