To provide some background, the Japanese government implemented new laws that transformed the family system. These laws were adopted from the Meiji Civil Code, which defined personhood, family, and succession among others. But today we will focus on how the Meiji Civil Code outlined the rights of women and how…

Benedict Anderson in “Imagined Communities” argues that exclusion is not necessary for nationalism, whereas Anne McClintock in “Family Feuds” argues that it is necessary for nationalism. Anderson defines nationalism as “an imagined political community — and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign” “(49). He adds the three characteristics of…

Considering the intense racial animosity that Dower outlines in his introduction to War Without Mercy, why do you think the Japanese and US governments were so quick to see each other as allies? I think the US and Japanese governments were so quick to see each other as allies because…

This week’s main theme is complicity — that is, how did ordinary Japanese people become implicated (consciously or not) in the act of inflicting colonial violence? Consider this question from the readings for lecture 7. According to Google, complicity is “the state of being involved with others in an illegal…

In all honesty, although Sonia Ryang’s argument was very compelling, I found it quite far-fetched. The first part of “The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Massacre of Koreans in 1923: Notes of Japan’s Modern National Sovereignty” made sense as it simply provided background. But comparing it to the paradoxical figure…

Put yourself in the shoes of an Ainu person who lived through the extension of the boundaries of the old Tokugawa regime to include your ancestral homelands. How might your life change on an everyday level? …

Week 1: The Tokugawa to Meiji Transition Think about the way that the Meiji leaders (authors of the documents that have been assigned for lecture 2 above) depicted their predecessors — the Tokugawa regime — as well as the emperor. Although the Meiji leaders are still respectful to the Tokugawa…

Popular culture helps spread awareness about serious issues and makes it more relatable to the audience. Music transcends language. You don’t have to understand Korean in order to appreciate the music in the video. “Coming to you, Minu” helped us learn more about migration in South Korea. After watching the…

Week 8: Neoliberalism and Borders How does Kwon’s exploration of “the work of waiting” impact the way that we think about immigration policy in a specific country? …