Anthropology and Japanese modernity

Article Abstract:

Japan's engagement with modernity can be traced to the restoration of imperial rule in 1868, when, with the feudalistic regime of shogunate and its policy of national isolation abolished, Japan set out to catch up with the West in the name of 'enlightenment'. Japan is possibly the only example of a non-Western nation wherein anthropology developed alongside imperialism and colonialism, and at the core of this development is Japan's desire for the west, the main characteristic of Japanese modernity.

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'The public' in Japan

Article Abstract:

The connotation of being fair and just per se remains in the Japanese word for 'public' with the public belonging to the master, or Heaven, whereas the private contains evil, redundant and private concerns which must not be sustained in the public realm. Thus, the interactions of individuals in almost every social situation tend to be perceived in terms of this hierarchy of their private (subordinate) and public (master) aspects.

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The Japanese 'public sphere': The Kugai

Article Abstract:

The Japanese concept of Kugai perhaps resembles most closely the epublic sphereE known in Europe, and is a compound of two elements, namely ekuE, meaning public, and egaiE, meaning realm or world. A discussion on the similarities and differences between this medieval Japanese concept and the modern public sphere is presented, together with its relevance to the present day.

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