Harumi Befu

Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu

Soo im Lee

Japan's Diversity Dilemmas: Ethnicity, Citizenship, and Education reveals how Japanese society is now in the midst of dramatic transformation brought on by demographic change and globalization. Foreigners are coming to Japan and many more will come in the near future to meet the demands of an economy that needs workers to compensate for an extremely low birth rate. The ramifications of this influx of foreigners into a society that has based its identity on a mythical ethnic purity are enormous. This book examines the effects of globalization on both new and older ethnic communities. It shows the ways in which minorities, in particular Koreans, are changing their conceptions and practices regarding nationality. It explores issues of human rights and emerging conceptions of citizenship in Japan. It also looks at how forces of globalization are affecting the state ideology of homogeneity and how a new image of diversity and multiculturalism is slowly developing. Several authors focus their attention on implications for education in citizenship education, ethnic education, and international education. Japan's Diversity Dilemmas is not just about minorities, but addresses issues of diversity that impact Japan as a nation in three areas: ethnicity, citizenship, and education. As the population diversifies, the linking of ethnicity and citizenship is being challenged and education is a battleground where these struggles occur. This collection of papers by an interdisciplinary group of authors helps readers to understand Japan's evolving conceptions of the nation and its attempts to balance tensions of unity and diversity. 'Japan's Diversity Dilemmas looks at precisely the kind of issues that need examination and discussion, as Japan stands on the cusp of potentially huge demographic and social changes. This collection of studies will enrich and inform classroom and public discourse and those who follow these issues will find this book essential." -Sharon Noguchi, San Jose Mercury News and former Fulbright Fellow, University of Tokyo

Ethnicity, Citizenship, and Education

Japan's Diversity Dilemmas

Josef Kreiner

Tadao Umesao

Japanese Civilization in the Modern World: Culturedness

Sylvie Guichard-Anguis

Globalizing Japan explores the social and cultural dimensions of Japan's global presence. Japan's expansion and presence as an economic giant is witnessed on an everyday basis. Both consciously and unconsciously, we regularly come into contact with Japan's industrial and cultural globalization, from cameras and automobiles to judo, cuisine or animation. Japan's presence in the popular imagination is heavily influenced both by the country's historical past and its global present. This book will appeal to students and scholars of Japanese Studies, Anthropology and Cultural Studies.

Ethnography of the Japanese presence in Asia, Europe, and America

Globalizing Japan

Ethnography of the Japanese Presence in Asia, Europe, and America

Harumi (Harumi)

Japan: an Anthropological Introduction

Much of the misunderstanding by foreigners about Japan arises out of their acceptance of certain stereotypes about the Japanese. Harumi Befu spearheaded the critique of the stereotypical and the essentialized characterization of the Japanese and their culture, often referred to as Nihonjinron. He now presents his summary statements in this book by reviewing the whole gamut of the Nihonjinron literature, ranging from ecology, rural community structure, personality, language, values and ethos. He shows the roles Nihonjinron plays for the identity formation of the Japanese and as the idealized norm of the society in orienting the public. Elaborating on the way in which Nihonjinron functions as a civil religion, the book outlines how a period of positive self-identity has alternated with a period of negative self-identity since the Meiji period.

An Anthropological Analysis of "Nihonjinron"

Hegemony of Homogeneity

Martinez, Dolores P. Martinez

Dolores Martinez

International team of authors explores Japanese popular culture, including sumo, manga and women's magazines.

Gender, Shifting Boundaries and Global Cultures

The Worlds of Japanese Popular Culture

Harumi Befu

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