Abstract not available

This thesis examines futōkō (school non-attendance) in Japan from the perspective that futōkō is a social movement. It analyses citizens’ activism in support of futōkō students over the twenty year period from 1984. Drawing upon social movement approaches the thesis examines how futōkō citizens successfully grasped political opportunities, established a network of organizations, launched a new interpretive frame for futōkō, and challenged the dominant representation of futōkō in society –that 'futōkō is an illness’. To explore in detail the ideological aspect of the futōkō movement’s framing, a content analysis of 140 editorials in the movement newspaper – the Futōkō Shimbun (School Non-attendance Newspaper) was conducted. Commencing with a critique of schooling practices that create futōkō, over the survey period Futōkō Shimbun expands its analysis to develop a critical appraisal of Japanese society that has broad implications for many different aspects of the everyday life of its citizens. Adopting the typology of movement outcomes, this thesis assesses the outcomes of futōkō movement framing through two sets of factors: first, changes in government policies and attitudes and second, cultural and ideational changes as experienced by the movement organizations, futōkō activists and children, and as represented in shifts in media representation of futōkō. Government policies in the handling of futōkō students have become more flexible although not always positive, while government interactions with the movement are suggestive of recognition that futōkō citizens are valid spokespersons with a legitimate set of interests in relation to futōkō children. Futōkō movement activists have been successful in framing their movement in terms of: expanding and increasingly sophisticated networks of futōkō movement organizations; the professional development of activists; and a more positive media discourse. The thesis concludes that the futōkō movement has influenced government policies, the media and wider social commentary about the phenomenon of and responses to futōkō. The thesis contends that the social movement perspective enables us to understand the issue of futōkō beyond the educational context, in its wider social, cultural and political contexts. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1330998 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, 2008

Univ., Diss.--Hohenheim, 2006.

Japan Day by Day---the Western Zoologist Edward S. Morse's account of his stay in Japan from 1877 to 1883---is analyzed by first comparing it to other contemporary travelogues written by western travelers to Japan, and then by viewing it through a more theoretical framework, including Edward Said's theory on post-colonialism and Michel Foucault's theory of discourse and body experiences. Viewed through this framework, the goal of analysis is not to test the validity of Morse's writings, but to explore the formation of his interpretation of his experience in Japan.

This thesis examines shojo manga (Japanese comics for girls) as a site of the subversion of gender. The focus will be on stories about cross-dressing, as the crossdressed heroine poses from the outset questions about the nature of girls within shojo manga and the girls who are supposedly reading the texts. The analysis takes place at two levels: visual language and narrative. Over the course of five chapters, focusing on a couple of series in each, this thesis will show the various ways categories of gender and sex are undermined in five different subgenres. Yet gender norms are recuperated in the end. The manga always return to the figure of the shojo , the ambiguously gendered "not-quite-female" female that must expire at adulthood and the regulatory function heterosexuality plays in this inevitable demise. Nevertheless shojo manga readers need not necessarily share this end. The various ways that the reader is positioned both visually and narratively suggests that her gender and sexuality remains ambiguous and indefinable.

Research on Japanese current foreign policy suffers from neglect of the influence of domestic factors on Japan's decisions and behaviour in world politics. The question of the nature of Japanese foreign policy needs to go beyond the exogenous cause of state behaviour in international affairs. The object of inquiry of this thesis is the influence of social factors on the orientation of Japan's foreign policy. The central concern is: "how" and "why" Japan behaves as it does in world affairs. This examination addresses the question of the interaction of endogenous and exogenous factors on the foreign economic policy of Japan, and postulates that Japanese national identity, national interests, and role conceptions, are the essence of Japan's defensive attitudes in world affairs on the one hand, and that Japanese behavioural patterns in international relations are in conformity with the ends of Japan's foreign policy: economic security and growth under the Japan-US alliance. Japanese response to US pressure and trade adjustment to the changing framework of the world economy from the 1980s up to the present give a relevant outlook to the defensive character of Japan's foreign policy. For Japanese policy-makers, the stability of Japan's economic performance in the world economy, its pacifist attitude in world affairs, its trade relations with the United States, and its protectorate status as a result of the Japan-US Security Treaty, are beyond question.

近年來，印度經濟快速成長，加上原本印度便擁有廣大的領土與人口，又是核武國，使印度在國際政治上日漸受到矚目。因此，在亞洲區域，出現了中、日、印三個勢力共存的情況。身為本區重要行為者之一的日本，面對此種區域結構的變化，外交政策亦做出調整。這種調整明顯地體現在日本的對印政策上，相較於冷戰時期日印關係的冷淡，以2000年8月森喜朗首相拜訪印度為分水嶺，日本改變從前的態度，開始積極與印度進行交往。對身處亞洲的我國而言，了解同區其他大國的關係變化與發展具有重要性，值得持續觀察。 本文一開始首先闡明研究動機與目的、研究範圍與限制、文獻回顧與架構安排。接下來主要想回答幾個問題：(1)日印關係在先前為何冷淡，又為何展開積極交往，時間點是受到哪些因素影響？在此將從第二章對日印傳統外交政策的特徵與近年來的變遷，以及第三章美國與中國的因素來進行分析；(2) 日印在雙邊互動上，其外交優先議題是否不同？又有哪些共同利益？這也是從第二章日印傳統外交政策的特徵與近年來的變遷，以及第三章就日印21世紀以來的互動所做的敘述中來回答；(3) 從近年互動的軌跡來預測未來日印夥伴關係的走向，在此將由第四、五章日印在安全、政治與經貿等議題上的合作，加上之前分析的結構性因素，來做探討。最後於第六章對本文的研究做歸納及日後研究主題的建議。 關鍵字：日本、印度、日印關係、印日關係 / India is growing fast during these years. Besides, India owns a broad territory, large population, and also nuclear weapons. Therefore, the whole world looks at India more and more intensively. It hence leads to a new situation in Asia region, that is, the co-existence of three powers (China, Japan, and India) in the same region. Facing such kind of shift in regional structure, Japan, as an important actor in Asia, also adjusts its foreign policy. This kind of adjustment reflects clearly on Japan’s policy toward India. In contrast with the indifference between Japan and India in the Cold War era, taking Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori’s visit to India as a watershed, Japan has changed its attitude and starts to engage with India actively. As a member in Asia region, knowing the transition and development of the relations between great powers in this region is important for us and worth further observation. The first part of this thesis composes research motives, purposes, scopes, limits, methods, literature review and the whole structure. Afterwards, it focuses on several questions: (1) why Japan-India relation was low in the past and why in recent year they engage with each other more actively? What has influenced them to choose this time point? Regard to these questions, this thesis makes an analysis from the traditional characteristics of both countries’ foreign policy, and then from the shift of their foreign policy direction, and also from the USA factor and the China factor. (2) What are the common interests of Japan and India? And what are their priorities respectively? The thesis also tries to find out the answer from the changed and unchanged characteristics of both countries’ foreign policy, combining with the description of Japan-India relation since 21st century in Chapter 3. (3) This thesis tries to make a prediction of the future Japan-India partnership in the light of the trajectory of their interaction in recent year. Finally in Chapter 6 it sums up the research findings and makes some suggestions for further research. Key words: Japan, India, Japan-India Relations, India-Japan Relations

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Politics, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [56]-[62]).

Univ., Diss.--Trier, 2003. / Literaturverz. S. 163 - 182.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Pennsylvania, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 272-296).