February 6 (M), February 8 (W), February 10 (F)

Schencking, "1923 Tokyo as a Devastated War and Occupation Zone: The Catastrophe One Confronted in Post Earthquake Japan" (ERes article)
"1995 Kobe Earthquake 10-year Retrospective" (ERes article)
For a list of articles related to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, click here.
LeBlanc, Bicycle Citizens, chapters 1-3, 6, conclusion
Strassler, Refracted Visions, chapter 3

1. Why, according to Schencking, was the 1923 Tokyo earthquake a totalizing experience? What role did newspapers and relief efforts play in mobilizing people? How did these create a different sense of Japanese citizenship?

2. Have earthquakes in Japan created a kind of disaster citizenship?

3. How does LeBlanc define "public" and "private" as they relate to gender and politics?

4. What are the qualities associated with housewifery? How do individual women relate to these qualities and to the status of being a housewife?

5. What qualities of housewifery prevent association with politics? What aspects enable it?

6. How does the contrast between bicycle citizens and taxi citizens allow us to understand politics in Japan?

7. In what ways does the housewife image succeed or not for Ono Kiyoko?

8. How, according to Strassler, were identity photos used by the state and by citizens? What forms of citizenship were intended to be created through identity photos? Did their use and circulation achieve these effects?

9. In all these readings, what factors do the authors suggest shape individuals' participation in the public sphere? How is citizenship defined?

 

Topics for RESPONSE PAPER #2 (2-3 pages, due on February 10 by email before class to Professor Leshkowich.)

Option 1: Gender and Citizenship in Japan: Imagine that you are having a conversation with a friend about Japanese politics. Your friend asserts that sexism remains a problem in Japan, as evidenced by Japanese women's limited involvement in politics. Based on your reading of LeBlanc's book, how would you respond? (Hint: Be sure to define "politics" and "involvement" and to provide specific examples of women's political involvement or lack thereof. Use your hypothetical response to your friend's comment to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of LeBlanc's argument and evidence.)

Option 2: Japanese Women's Political Action: Find a newspaper or reliable electronic media account from the past year of a political event, movement, or issue in which Japanese women were involved. In light of the issues raised in LeBlanc's book, analyze the article's coverage of the connection between gender and politics. Does the article reproduce or challenge stereotypes about Japanese women, housewifery, and politics?