"Enka," a sentimental ballad genre, epitomizes for many the "nihonjin no kokoro" (heart/soul of Japanese). To older members of the Japanese public, who constitute "enka"'s primary audience, this music--of parted lovers, long unseen rural hometowns, and self-sacrificing mothers--evokes a direct connection to the traditional roots of "Japaneseness." Overlooked in this emotional invocation of the past, however, are the powerful commercial forces that, since the 1970s, have shaped the consumption of "enka" and its version of national identity. Informed by theories of nostalgia, collective memory, cultural nationalism, and gender, this book draws on the author's extensive fieldwork in probing the practice of identity-making and the processes at work when Japan becomes "Japan."
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"Enka," a sentimental ballad genre, epitomizes for many the "nihonjin no kokoro" (heart/soul of Japanese). To older members of the Japanese public, who constitute "enka"'s primary audience, this music--of parted lovers, long unseen rural hometowns, and self-sacrificing mothers--evokes a direct connection to the traditional roots of "Japaneseness." Overlooked in this emotional invocation of the past, however, are the powerful commercial forces that, since the 1970s, have shaped the consumption of "enka" and its version of national identity. Informed by theories of nostalgia, collective memory, cultural nationalism, and gender, this book draws on the author's extensive fieldwork in probing the practice of identity-making and the processes at work when Japan becomes "Japan."
Imprint | Harvard University Press |
Country of origin | United States |
Series | Harvard East Asian Monographs |
Release date | September 2003 |
Availability | Expected to ship within 12 - 17 working days |
First published | September 2003 |
Authors | Christine R. Yano |
Dimensions | 151 x 229 x 21mm (L x W x T) |
Format | Paperback |
Pages | 280 |
Edition | New edition |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-674-01276-9 |
Barcode | 9780674012769 |
Categories | |
LSN | 0-674-01276-3 |