EA 170 Week 8a

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 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: