Walking my hometown: practices of everyday nationalism in contemporary Japan

Abstract

This thesis questions the nationalism that is practiced in everyday life, which the conventional studies of nationalism have not fully dealt with. As a series of case studies, I deal with the rise of neo-nationalism in contemporary Japanese society. In particular, I focus on the 'border-creation' that is practiced in the everyday lives of people through labour and consumption. The people who are living in advanced capitalist states in the age of global information capitalism do not exclaim "hot nationalism" but rather consume "cool nationalism". ... While conventional ethnic studies tend to focus on either the 'majority' or 'minority', this thesis focuses on the interactions and linkages between the 'majority' and 'minority'. In consumer-oriented society, residence and lifestyle are increasingly becoming similar to each other. While 'majority' or 'minority communities are dismantling, their lifestyles have become 'individualized'. In that sense, through focusing on the interactions and linkages between the two groups, it is possible to identify a critical cooperation between the two within a consumer-oriented Japanese society in the age of global information capitalism. Through the encounters with my friends and Zainichi Koreans in my hometown, the idea of "Japanese", "hometown", and "friends" is critically questioned. Then, the "familiar" landscape of my hometown becomes something "unfamiliar".