Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity International University, Deerfield, Ill., 1999. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-116).

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, August 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Not available / text

This study examines the ways and the extent to which Japanese new religions that seek to attain an international presence adapt and alter their techniques of proselytism in moving from one culture to another, and the ways in which their development varies in non-Japanese cultures. In particular I focus on Shinnyoen, one of the largest new religions in Japan, which has achieved a foothold in Hawaii and other areas with large Japanese immigrant populations, but which has also begun to develop in Europe and other parts of Asia. Currently, movements such as Shinnyoen are in their infancy in Britain, although they have already begun to establish a presence and have developed to some degree beyond the Japanese population. Accordingly, the activities of such religious groups and the ways in which they seek to appeal to and attract non-Japanese followers form a highly appropriate topic for research. This study will examine Shinnyoen and its proselytizing campaign in three diverse locations - the UK, Hawaii, and Singapore - in order to glean a clear account of the dynamics involved in the proselytizing activities of Japanese new religions overseas. The ethos of Japanese new religious movements and the conditions (social, organizational, cultural) conducive for dissemination abroad, especially among local populations, are issues explored in the process. The extent to which these patterns differ at the various locations will also be examined in order to determine whether Shinnyoen attracts, and targets, the same type of people in Britain as it does in Singapore and Hawaii. What will emerge at the conclusion of this study is a clearer picture of the challenges Japanese new religions face in their efforts to expand overseas and flourish in foreign soil and the necessary provisions they must possess in their praxis and organizational structure if they are to meet these challenges.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Western Sydney, Nepean, 1999. / Bibliography p. 289-312.

This dissertation focuses on the production and development of a conspicuous, widespread culture phenomenon in contemporary Japan, which is characterized by numerous young, mediapromoted personalities, or pop-idols, who are groomed for public consumption. The research, based on eighteen months of in-depth fieldwork in the Japanese entertainment industry, aims to contribute to the understanding of the allegorical role played by pop-idols in the creation of youth culture. Pop-idols are analyzed as personified symbols that function as vehicles of cultural production. The principal issues suggested in this research include: the criteria of popidol production; the ways in which pop-idols are produced; the perceptions of pop-idol performances by producers, performers, and consumers; the ways in which idol personalities are differentiated from each other; the ways in which pop-idol performances are distinguished from other styles or genres; and the social, cultural, political, economic, and historical roots as well as consequences of pop-idols' popularity. These issues are explored through the examination of female pop-idols. The single, most important function of pop-idols is to represent young people's fashions, customs, and lifestyles. To this end, the pop-idol industry generates a variety of styles that can provide the young audience with pathways toward appropriate adulthood. They do this within their power structure as well as their commercial interest to capitalize on adolescence - which in Japan is considered the period in which individuals are expected to explore themselves in the adult social world. The stylized promotion, practiced differently by promotion agencies that strive to merchandise pop-idol images and win public recognition, constitutes a field of symbolic contestation. The stage is thus set for an investigation of the strategies, techniques, and processes of adolescent identity formation as reified in the construction of idol personalities. This dissertation offers a contextualized account of dialogue that occurs between capitalism, particular rhetoric of self-making, and the lifestyle of consumers, mediated by pop-idols and their manufacturing agencies that function together as the cultural apparatus. The analysis developed in this dissertation hopes to provide theoretical and methodological contributions to the study of celebrities in other social, cultural, and historical settings.

This dissertation focuses on the production and development of a conspicuous, widespread culture phenomenon in contemporary Japan, which is characterized by numerous young, mediapromoted personalities, or pop-idols, who are groomed for public consumption. The research, based on eighteen months of in-depth fieldwork in the Japanese entertainment industry, aims to contribute to the understanding of the allegorical role played by pop-idols in the creation of youth culture. Pop-idols are analyzed as personified symbols that function as vehicles of cultural production. The principal issues suggested in this research include: the criteria of popidol production; the ways in which pop-idols are produced; the perceptions of pop-idol performances by producers, performers, and consumers; the ways in which idol personalities are differentiated from each other; the ways in which pop-idol performances are distinguished from other styles or genres; and the social, cultural, political, economic, and historical roots as well as consequences of pop-idols' popularity. These issues are explored through the examination of female pop-idols. The single, most important function of pop-idols is to represent young people's fashions, customs, and lifestyles. To this end, the pop-idol industry generates a variety of styles that can provide the young audience with pathways toward appropriate adulthood. They do this within their power structure as well as their commercial interest to capitalize on adolescence - which in Japan is considered the period in which individuals are expected to explore themselves in the adult social world. The stylized promotion, practiced differently by promotion agencies that strive to merchandise pop-idol images and win public recognition, constitutes a field of symbolic contestation. The stage is thus set for an investigation of the strategies, techniques, and processes of adolescent identity formation as reified in the construction of idol personalities. This dissertation offers a contextualized account of dialogue that occurs between capitalism, particular rhetoric of self-making, and the lifestyle of consumers, mediated by pop-idols and their manufacturing agencies that function together as the cultural apparatus. The analysis developed in this dissertation hopes to provide theoretical and methodological contributions to the study of celebrities in other social, cultural, and historical settings. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

published_or_final_version / Modern Languages and Cultures / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Este trabalho tem como objeto de estudo o mangá (história em quadrinhos japonesa) e sua utilização como instrumento de transmissão de cultura. Partindo da análise histórica e a posterior expansão mundial, procurouse entender como o mangá foi criado e como ele é entendido pelos japoneses e pelos ocidentais, especificamente os brasileiros. Um dos pontos apontados foi que os japoneses entendem o mangá como apenas quadrinhos; já os ocidentais, como um estilo. Como base de análise foi utilizado um mangá muito famoso, tanto no Japão quanto no Brasil, Rurouni Kenshin. Este mangá conta a história de um samurai errante no início da era Meiji que, arrependido de ter sido um assassino, passa a defender a vida de todos. Procurou-se identificar elementos que fazem referência à realidade e que podem ser usados como fonte de transmissão de conhecimento. Foram analisados aspectos como arquitetura, história, língua, entre outros, para comparar com os elementos reais. Ao fim da análise foi possível comprovar que existia uma relação do quadrinho com os elementos e fatos verdadeiros. Conclui-se que, o mangá pode ser visto como mera diversão, ou, se o leitor souber entender melhor seu conteúdo, pode ser utilizado como meio de transmissão de conhecimento. / This work´s subject is the Mangá (Japanese cartoon) and its use as a cultural transmission tool. Starting from the historical analysis and the subsequent world expansion, this work tried to understand how the mangá was created and how it is understood by the Japanese and the ocidental people, specifically Brazilians. One relevant point was that Japanese people see the mangá just as cartoons while ocidental people understand it as a style. The title chosen to be the studied is Rurouni Kenshin, a very famous mangá in Brazil as well as in Japan. This mangá tells the story of a wandering samurai in the beginning of the Meiji era, who, regretted of being an assassin, started to protect everyone´s life. We tried to identify elements in the story that were related to the reality and could be used as a source of knowledge transmission. Many aspects were used in this comparison, such as architectural, historical, linguistic, among others. In the end of the analysis it was possible to prove that there is a connection between the cartoon and the real facts. Therefore, mangá can be understood just like fun, but if the reader could understand its content in depth, it can be used as a knowledge transmission tool.