Au Japon, le mariage est une importation partielle de l'idée européenne au sein de la tradition japonaise. Pendant l'époque de modernisation japonaise, l'idéalisation de la famille est établie par ce mariage et a servi à donner de l'importance à un état de femme, « être bonne épouse et bonne mère » pour la reproduction des bons citoyens. Les idées du mariage et de la famille sont ancrées dans la société japonaise, et cet ancrage a déterminé la division du travail du sexe et la discrimination contre les autres formes de la famille (célibataire, divorcé, enfants naturels, etc.). Dans notre époque, la société japonaise parait donner la supériorité à l'individu en couple conjugale afin de détourner toutes les difficultés découlant de l'individualisation, ou plus globalement, de la radicalisation de la modernité en détriment de la liberté et l'égalité de l'individu. Cette particularité du mariage japonais repose sur la distinction entre la relation amoureuse « qualifiée » (qui mène au mariage et finalement à la procréation) et la relation amoureuse « simple » (les autres relations) qui correspond à la démarcation de la sexualité matrimoniale et extra-conjugale. Le mariage comme « qualification finale » doit être destiné à la relation « qualifiée » avec quelqu'un spécial et définitivement à la sexualité maritale-procréative, et cette relation doit être distinguée de celles « simples » dès le début de la relation. Autrement dit, une fois que la relation est définie comme « qualifiée », il faut absolument atteindre au mariage. Nous proposons le concept d'« individualisation de la maternité » en qualifiant d'« auto-érotisme féminin »: si la maternité appartient à l'individu (la femme), il n'est plus nécessaire d'encadrer la procréation dans la relation amoureuse « qualifiée ». Ainsi la procréation se libère de cette norme sociale et de telles discriminations n'ont plus de sens dans la société japonaise. / In Japan, marriage is a partial importation of the European model in the Japanese tradition. During the epoch of Japanese modernization, family idealization was derived by the European model and was useful for raising woman's status, “A good wife and wise mother” for good citizens’ reproduction. The ideas of marriage and family had taken its root in the Japanese society and determined sexual division and the discrimination against other forms of family. (Singles, divorced persons, illegitimate children, etc.) In our time, the Japanese society seems to give superiority to the conjugal couple’s individual with the purpose of avoiding all of the difficulties that came from the individualization, or in general sense, the radicalization of modernity, by the sacrifice of individual liberty and equality. Japanese marriage's particularity is based on the distinction between “qualified” relationships (which arrive at the marriage and finally at procreation) and “simple” relationships (the other relationships) which correspond to the boundary between matrimonial sexuality and extra-conjugal sexuality. The marriage as “final qualification” is the natural evolution only for a “qualified” relationship with a special person, and finally for the marital-procreative sexuality. This “qualified” relationship has to be distinguished from the "simple" relationships from the beginning. In other word, once the relationship is defined as “qualified”, it should end up in a marriage. We suggest a concept of “Individualization of motherhood” by introducing the idea of “women’s auto-eroticism": if the motherhood is an attribute to individual (woman), it is not necessary to limit procreation into “qualified” relationship. Thus procreation is free from the social norm and such discriminations have no sense in the Japanese society.

This dissertation explores the impact of technology on social life. Focusing on webcam-mediated audio-visual conversations between Japanese families in the United States and their extended family members in Japan, I examine how technology participates in creating an interactional space for the families to manage intra- and intergenerational relationships. Combining ethnography with turn-by-turn analyses of naturally occurring webcam interactions, I specifically investigate how cultural, discursive, and family practices are transformed in innovative ways and how families adapt to the emerging mediated space. Looking at how interactional activities are coordinated across spaces, I show that webcam interactions constitute a new type of shared living space in which multigenerational family relationships are created and managed. I call this emerging space the virtual ie (‘house’ and ‘stem-family system’). In this virtually conjoined space, children, parents, and grandparents are visually familiarized with each other’s households and socialized to each other’s virtual presence. Even though the ie is no longer a juridical unit of co-residence, my goal is to discuss the significance of the ie in understanding how transnational Japanese families can dwell in a shared living space created by webcam interactions. My analyses demonstrate how webcam encounters create a stage for participants to perform various identities in interactions. Learning to talk and participate in such webcam interactions, children are socialized to their ie belongings and identities. Additionally, even though far-flung children do not provide physical and daily care for their parents in Japan, they actively take care of elder parents’ media environments. I demonstrate that what I call media care practices add another context for adult children living abroad to carry out their filial responsibilities. I also show that the management of webcam visual fields creates a type of social field that reflects local understandings of social positioning in ie structures. How participants decide to display themselves to others by manipulating the webcam’s visual fields provides a new way to demonstrate various social relationships and responsibilities over long distances. From this perspective, a virtual ie is not merely a reflection of an ideological understanding of Japanese families, but an interactional achievement facilitated by webcams. / text