Individual Post #2

I think that cultural productions (e.g. art, music, and literature) are very important, especially in times of political turmoil or natural disaster. For example, the WAWA Project and the ūman ribu movement brought members of the same community together because of their shared experience: women and survivors of natural disasters. In this post, I have taken readings from other non-Japanese language classes that are relevant to our discussion:

Ripples of Change: Japanese Women’s Search for Self is about ūman ribu, or the women’s liberation movement. During the 1970s, women fought for their equal rights by making small changes within their own lives as opposed to trying to change society. This made ūman ribu very different from the women’s rights movement in the US. Some members of ūman ribu did not even consider themselves feminists. These women believed that relating to others on a personal level was more important than recruiting members. They also distributed flyers and pamphlets, such as “A Toilet No More”. The goal of ūman ribu was to create ripples (of change) within society. Small changes within an individual’s life turn into big changes within an entire society.

On the other hand, United to be Dispersed: The WAWA Project and Community Art after the Great East Japan Earthquake by Jung-Ah Woo describes the benefits of participatory art and its effect on communities during humanitarian crises. The WAWA Project brought together residents, institutions, artists, and volunteers to create art in order to spread awareness about the “Great East Japan Earthquake”. Masahiko Haga, a survivor of the 3/11 earthquake, points out that “an individual’s recognition and articulation of fundamental concerns along with creative ideas for change can affect the reality without the spearhead of grand political activism” (61). In other words, political activism is not necessary in order to make an impact in the community. The WAWA Project is just like other movements, such as the Black Lives Matter or Stop Asian Hate movement. The WAWA Project uses art to make a statement, whereas Black Lives Matter uses cultural productions to supplement their explicit political activism.