The ‘Zero’ Modern Boy? Contesting the Meaning of Modern Masculinity in Early Twentieth-century Japan

Debbie  Chan

doi:10.26182/27ke-1g53

The ‘Zero’ Modern Boy? Contesting the Meaning of Modern Masculinity in Early Twentieth-century Japan

Debbie Chan

School of Social Sciences

Research output: Thesis › Doctoral Thesis

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Abstract

This thesis explores the modern boy as a discourse of modern masculinity in the context of 1920sand 1930s Japan. It emphasises the contradictions and shifting contours of the modern boy image in the Japanese cultural imaginary, particularly in light of the way negative criticisms of the modern boy became sharper and more common in the late 1920s and early 1930s media. This thesis argues that the modern boy discourse was a site of contestation for the making of modern Japanese manhood, its ambivalence a reflection of the power struggles between social actors and factions with differing ideological agendas.

Original language	English
Qualification	Doctor of Philosophy
Awarding Institution	The University of Western Australia
Supervisors/Advisors	Dales, Laura, Supervisor Elfving-Hwang, Jo, Supervisor Bourchier, David, Supervisor Dasgupta, Romit, Supervisor
Thesis sponsors	Australian Government Research Training Program
Award date	10 Apr 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.26182/27ke-1g53
Publication status	Unpublished - 2022

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10.26182/27ke-1g53

THESIS - DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY - CHAN Pin-Pin - 2023
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1 Article

The Modern Boy as the New Body of Modernity? Contesting the Meaning of Masculinity in Early 20^th-century Japan
Chan, D., 2023, In: Asian Studies Review. 47, 2, p. 209-226 18 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus)

Cite this

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AB - This thesis explores the modern boy as a discourse of modern masculinity in the context of 1920sand 1930s Japan. It emphasises the contradictions and shifting contours of the modern boy image in the Japanese cultural imaginary, particularly in light of the way negative criticisms of the modern boy became sharper and more common in the late 1920s and early 1930s media. This thesis argues that the modern boy discourse was a site of contestation for the making of modern Japanese manhood, its ambivalence a reflection of the power struggles between social actors and factions with differing ideological agendas.

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The ‘Zero’ Modern Boy? Contesting the Meaning of Modern Masculinity in Early Twentieth-century Japan

Abstract

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Research output

The Modern Boy as the New Body of Modernity? Contesting the Meaning of Masculinity in Early 20th-century Japan

Cite this

The Modern Boy as the New Body of Modernity? Contesting the Meaning of Masculinity in Early 20^th-century Japan