EA 170 Week 8a

ONLINE LECTURES

REVIEW OF HISTORY

I. Meiji period (1868-1912) ideals for women and men

A. Domestic and public spheres and roles:

1. women in domestic sphere:

a. Edo: Neo-Confucian belief that young women are too inherently foolish/morally unsuited to be in charge of the education of their children; that job should be relegated to older generation

b. Meiji: Liberals and conservatives agree that women need to be educated to be “Good wives and wise mothers” so that their children will be able to handle the challenges of modern life.


2. men in the public sphere:


3. How this separation of spheres serves the interest of the nation:

a. Meiji Civil Code (1898) to "ensure the smooth operation of a male-centered, authoritarian, traditional family." (Bernstein, p. 8)

B. Westernization of morals

1. example of Kabuki and self-censorship (late 1880s):

a. production of new "history" plays

b. decadent plays (such as Izayoi Seishin and Yotsuya Kaidan) dropped from repertoire


2. Effect on Kabuki onnagata:


a. Two-stage "de-eroticization" of the male:


1) Judeo-Christian morality introduced:


2) Social Sciences began to pathologize homosexuality

a) parallels the rise of the "the woman problem" (fujin mondai)


II. The Taishô period [redirects to Taisho; click on Taishô below] (1912-26):

A. The “woman problem” (fujin mondai): what the image and role of Japanese women should be.


1. Why do women become a concern again?


a. Gender roles blurring:


b. Women were working outside the home:


c. Women more educated, able to speak for themselves:

1) Journal "Bluestocking" (Seitô, 1911-1916): accused of "corrupt[ing] the virtues traditionally associated with Japanese women" and undermining the concept of "Good wife, wise mother" (Bernstein p. 9)

Hiratsuka Raichô 1886-1971

d. Women radical revolutionaries and terrorists:

Kaneko Fumiko 1903-1926

Itô Noe (1895-1923


2. Crushing of subversive political activity:

a. Series of Public Security Laws (1894, 1900, 1925), aimed at suppressing dissent and the free discussion of ideas

b. 1925-1945 “Public Security Preservation Law” aimed specifically at Communists, Socialists and Anarchists

1) "Anyone who has formed an association with the intent of altering the kokutai, or the system of private property, and anyone who has joined such an association with full knowledge of its object, shall be liable to imprisonment with or without hard labour, for a term not exceeding ten years."

2) outlaws women being members of any political party or attending any public political gathering

III. 1930s/World War 2

A. Feminism and all radical activity were suppressed even more vigorously (Thought Police)

1. Idealization of motherhood

a. Married women:

b. Unmarried women:

CLASS

Introduction to "Dream Girls" Video

Twenty years old, but more recent NHK "Top Stars of Takarazuka"(2014) seems to indicate that nothing has changed. Using this video because it directly deals with issues of gender hierarchy and male domination by company executives much more clearly. The NHK documentary avoids those issues almost completely.

Look for:
1. How is gender hierarchy of male over female reinforced even in an all-woman troupe?

2. What is the role of the male executives?

3. How do the top stars negotiate between the demands of their fans, demands of male executives, and their own desires? What about lower ranking actors?