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What role does consumption play in Japanese lives that are more than study, work and shopping? How have those lives changed since World War II as Japan has wrestled with the meaning of white-collar careers, women spreading their wings, changing family values, a shrinking birth rate, an aging population? This book explores Japan through the eyes of Japanese researchers and discovers patterns of change that are both uniquely Japanese and shared by consumers in other advanced industrial nations.
First detailed analysis of the phenomenon in English. Describes and analyses the complex new attitudes to manga since the 1980s. Provocative and timely, the book shows how manga's status in Japanese society is intimately linked to changes in the balance of power between artists and editors.
A substantial book on the social practices and cultural attitudes of people producing, reading, watching and listening to different kinds of media in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and India.
This is the first academic exploration of contemporary lesbian sexuality in Japan and opens up a more inclusive representation of cultural and sexual diversity across women's studies and Japanese studies.
By documenting, analysing and interpreting the transformations in the local diets of Asian peoples within the last hundred years, this volume pinpoints the consequences of the tension between homogenisation and cultural heterogenisation, which is so characteristic for today's global interaction.
A fascinating illustrated look at various forms of Japanese popular culture: pop song, jazz, enka (a popular ballad genre of music), karaoke, comics, animated cartoons, video games, television dramas, films and "idols" -- teenage singers and actors. As pop culture not only entertains but is also a reflection of society, the book is also about Japan itself -- its similarities and differences with the rest of the world, and how Japan is changing. The book features 32 pages of manga plus 50 additional photos, illustrations, and shorter comic samples.
Illustrations used for story-telling and mirth-making have enlivened Asian walls, scrolls, books, public and private places, and artifacts for millennia. Often playful and humorous, Asian pictorial stories lent conspicuous elements to contemporary comic art, particularly with their use of narrative nuance, humor, satire, and dialogue. Illustrating Asia is a fascinating book on a subject that is of wide and topical interest. All of the articles consider cartoon and/or comic art in the historical and social setting of seven South, Southeast, and East Asian countries: India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, China, and Japan. The contributors treat comic and narrative art—including comic books, comic strips, picture books, and humor and fan magazines—in both historical and socio-cultural perspectives, as well as portrayals of ancient Chinese philosophy, gender, and the enemy in cartoons and comics. Contributors: Laine Berman, John A. Lent, Fusami Ogi, Rei Okamoto, Ronald Provencher, Aruna Rao, Kuiyi Shen, Shimizu Isao, Shu-chu Wei, Yingjin Zhang.
Fairs, festivals and competitive events play a crucial role in the creative industries; yet their significance has been largely overlooked. This book explores the role of such events through a series of studies that include some of the most iconic fairs and festivals in the world. It brings together a team of distinguished scholars to examine art fairs, biennales, auctions, book fairs, television programming markets, film festivals, animation film festivals, country music festivals, fashion weeks, wine classifications and wine tasting events. This diverse set of studies shows that such events serve a variety of purposes: as field-configuring events (FCEs), as a way of ritualising industry practices and as 'tournaments of values' where participants negotiate different cultural values to resolve economic issues. Suitable for academics and practitioners, this book presents a fascinating perspective on the role and importance of fairs, festivals and competitive events in the creative industries.
This engaging analysis of Western fashion explores the influence of fashion, taste, and style on people's actions and beliefs since the Middle Ages.
The Handbook of Fashion Studies identifies an innovative spectrum of thematic approaches, key strands and interdisciplinary concepts that continue to push forward the boundaries of fashion studies. The book is divided into seven sections: Fashion, Identity and Difference; Spaces of Fashion; Fashion and Materiality; Fashion, Agency and Policy; Science, Technology and New fashion; Fashion and Time and, Sustainable Fashion in a Globalised world. Each section consists of approximately four essays authored by established researchers in the field from the UK, USA, Netherlands, Sweden, Canada and Australia. The essays are written by international subject specialists who each engage with their section's theme in the light of their own discipline and provide clear case-studies to further knowledge on fashion. This consistency provides clarity and permits comparative analysis. The handbook will be essential reading for students of fashion as well as professionals in the industry.