Meiji Gakuin Course No. 3505

Minority and Marginal Groups of Contemporary Japan

This course deals with ethnic and cultural minority groups in contemporary Japan. Japan is often described as a homogeneous society, and indeed does have a very dominant ethnic and cultural mainstream. That is a fact of life for minority groups in Japan, and we will look at how some of them have positioned themselves vis-a-vis the mainstream in finding a place for themselves in Japanese society.

Our goal is to achieve a more nuanced understanding of uniformity and diversity in Japanese society today. We will discuss: the social situation of foreigners in Japan, especially Koreans, Chinese, Brazilians, Filipinos; two significant domestic ethnic minorities: Ryukyuans [Okinawa] and Ainu [Hokkaido], and one culturally defined domestic minority: the Burakumin. Also economic minorities: the poor, homeless, single-parent families; sexual minorities: gay, lesbian, trans-sexual etc.; medical minorities such as sufferers of AIDS, Hansens disease, Minamata, mental illness, disabilities; and social/political minorities: the far left, far right, gangsters, motorbike gangs etc.

【第１回】Overview: The Debate on Homogeneity and Multiculturalism

【第２回】Ainu, indigenous people of Hokkaido

【第３回】Ryukyuans, indigenous people of Okinawa

【第４回】Koreans, Japan's biggest and oldest ethnic minority

【第５回】Film: Osaka Story dir. Toichi Nakata

【第６回】Chinese, Japan’s fastest growing minority

【第７回】Guest lecture by Rey Ventura: Filipinos in Japan

【第８回】Japanese-Brazilians, an artificially created ethnic minority

【第９回】Burakumin – descendents of Japan's victimized outcast people

【第10回】Poverty in Japan

【第11回】Day laborers and freeters

【第12回】Medical minorities: Disabilities, mental illness, AIDS etc. A-bomb victims, Minamata, Hansens etc.

【第13回】Political minorities: far left, far right etc

【第14回】Social minorities: yakuza, bosozoku etc

【第15回】Sexual minorities: gay/lesbian, transsexuals etc.

【第16回】Film: Funeral Parade of Roses

【第17回】Religious minorities

Check my home page for extra course materials. There is no compulsory reading, but I strongly recommend that you read as many as possible of the books below. These are general works on Japan’s minority groups; in addition you will find reading suggestions on specific minorities in the course materials for them.

Multilingual Japan, ed. John C. Maher and Kyoko Yashiro. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd, 1995

Japan’s Minorities: The Illusion of Homogeneity, ed. Michael Weiner (Routledge 2008)

Multicultural Japan, ed. Donald Denoon et al, (Cambridge UP 1997)

Multiethnic Japan, by John Lie (Harvard UP, 2001)

Hegemony of Homogeneity: An Anthropological Analysis of Nihonjinron by Harumi Befu (Trans Pacific Press 2001)

A Genealogy of Japanese Self-Images by Eiji Oguma (Trans Pacific Press 2002)

Japan’s Diversity Dilemmas: Ethnicity, Citizenship and Education, ed. Soo-Im Lee, Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu and Harumi Befu (iUniverse, 2006)

Linguistic Stereotyping and Minority Groups in Japan, by Nanette Gottleib (Routledge, 2006)

Grading: Attendance/participation, 30%. Term paper, 70%.

Home page: http://www.meijigakuin.ac.jp/~gill/index.html

* I will use Powerpoint slides in the lectures, including some Japanese sub-titling for the benefit of Japanese students.

* I have a very busy schedule this semester, and I cannot hang around after class as I have another one to teach immediately after. However, I will be available by appointment 2nd period/lunchtime or 6th period (i.e. after 6.15) on Tuesdays and Friday. My office hours are Tuesday 5th period. You are always welcome to try your luck knocking on my door at other times.