The Japanese Self in Cultural Logic

Takie Sugiyama Lebra

Published by University of Hawaii Press 2004

The Japanese Self in Cultural Logic

Takie Sugiyama Lebra

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824864798

Overview
Contents

About this book

The self serves as a universally available, effective, and indispensable filter for making sense of the chaos of the world. In her latest book, Takie Lebra attempts a new understanding of the Japanese self through her unique use of cultural logic. She begins by presenting and elaborating on two models ("opposition logic" and "contingency logic") to examine concepts of self, Japanese and otherwise. Guided by these, she delves into the three layers of the Japanese self, focusing first on the social layer as located in four "zones"—omote (front), uchi (interior), ura (back), and soto (exterior)—and its shifts from zone to zone. New light is shed on these familiar linguistic and spatial categories by introducing the dimension of civility.

The book expands the discussion in relation to larger constructions of the inner and cosmological self. Unlike the social self, which views itself in relation to the "other," the inner layer involves a reflexivity in which self communicates with self. While the social self engages in dialogue or trialogue, the inner self communicates through monologue or soliloquy. The cosmological layer, which centers around transcendental beliefs and fantasies, is examined and the analysis supplemented with comments on aesthetics. Throughout, Lebra applies her methodology to dozens of Japanese examples and makes relevant comparisons with North American culture and notions of self. Finally, she provides a spirited analysis of critiques of Nihonjinron to reinforce the relevancy of Japanese studies.

This volume is the culmination of decades of thinking on self and social relations by one of the most influential scholars in the field. It will prove highly instructive to Japanese and non-Japanese readers alike in a range of disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, and social psychology.

Author / Editor information

Lebra Takie Sugiyama :

Takie Sugiyama Lebra is professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Hawai‘i.

Reviews

Offers a unifying theoretical framework ... highlighting tensions and tradeoffs in the relationship between self and society in Japan.

Drawing on decades of experience and research, Lebra here offers us a compelling account of the Japanese self. . . . An erudite and welcome contribution.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Prologue Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xxiii
1. Logical Models for Self Analysis: Opposition and Contingency Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. Social Self in Front and Interior Zones: Omote and Uchi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	37
3. Social Self in Back and Exterior Zones: Ura and Soto, Anomalous Counterparts to Omote and Uchi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
4. The Inner, Reflexive Self: Interiority and Exteriority in Contingency Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	177
5. Self in Cosmology and Aesthetics Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	224
Epilogue. In Defense of Japan Studies Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	255
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	281
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	297
About the Author Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	309

Language: English
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 330
Illustrations
- Other: illus.

eBook

Published: September 30, 2004
ISBN: 9780824864798