Teaching Japan:

Using Popular Culture for Critical Engagement

Dr. Mahua Bhattacharya

Associate Professor of Japanese and
Asian Studies
Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA
 Teaching Philosophy
• The first paradigm that shaped my pedagogy was the idea that the
classroom should be an exciting place, never boring.
• bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of
Freedom

• Culture is always plural, a set of cultures, some of which we are born

into, some we design for ourselves, some we reject, and some we
inhabit ambiguously; … the ‘we’ is created in and by these multiple
cultures, as well as existing prior to them.
• John Whittier Treat, Contemporary Japan and Popular Culture
Why popular culture: Theories
Does pop culture emerge from the people as
“an autonomous expression of their interests
and modes of experience” or is “imposed
from above by those in positions of power
as a type of social control”
 Theories contd….
• Issue of Quality:
Since pop culture appears in commodity
forms, the “criteria of profitability and
marketability take precedence over quality,
artistry, integrity, and intellectual challenge”
 Theories contd….
• The ideological role of popular culture also
cause for concern. They feel that pop
culture indoctrinates people to get them “to
accept and adhere to ideas and values which
ensure the continued dominance of those in
more privileged positions” rather than being
about “rebellion and opposition to the
prevailing social order”
 Why Anime/Manga?
• This discussion is particularly relevant in our
treatment of anime as a form of popular culture or
mass culture in Japan and as a form of ‘subculture’
in America. Through anime, Japan has become a
significant player in the ‘global cultural economy,’
says a major cultural theorist (Napier, 2001). Its
reach extends around the world, from Korea and
Taiwan to Southeast Asia all the way to Europe.
 Anthropological Tool
Anime and manga can be used as an
anthropological tool in the classroom not
only to understand the mindset and
concerns of people in Japanese society, but
also to critically engage students with issues
plaguing other societies as well.
Compelling features of Anime
• Powerful effects for a fraction of the
cost of Disney.
• Narrative distance.
• High Tech look
• Creative fantasy world
• Genuine tension between ‘good’ and
‘evil’
 Features contd…
• Multidimensional characters
• Powerful women
 Japanese cultural values
• Wa (Harmony)- ‘deru kui wa utareru’
• Honne and Tatemae
• Uchi and Soto
• Ambiguousness ‘aimai’
• Modesty ‘kenson’
• Shame: “miuchi no haji, ichizoku on haji”
• Patience and Diligence: ‘gaman to kinben
 Values contd…
• Giri to ninjo
Wa (harmony)