SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES (University of London)

Examination for Undergraduate students - May/June 2010

ETHNOGRAPHY OF A SELECTED REGION: JAPAN 15 180 2045 This paper is suitable for current students and all re-entry candidates

Time Allowed: THREE hours The marks for this paper constitute 80% of the total marks for this course.

Permitted materials/ equipment None

Special stationery/ equipment required None

Instructions: Answer THREE questions of the following TEN questions Credit will be given for a useful range of relevant illustrations

Turn over when instructed

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Answer THREE questions

1.

Rural Japan is now chiefly of interest to anthropologists in the context of domestic tourism. Discuss. EITHER a) Assess the view that the ie (household) continues to be central to the construction of Japanese national identity. OR b) In what ways can a study of migration to Japan contribute to our understanding of the construction of national identity?

2.

3.

EITHER a) An understanding of class divisions is essential to any analysis of contemporary Japanese society. Discuss. OR b) The term the Japanese employment system obscures crucial differences of class, generation, and gender in the workplace. Discuss.

4.

Why have anthropologists writing about religion in Japan tended to stress the primacy of action over belief, and what are the implications of this? Education in Japan continues through both work organised activities AND/OR through peoples leisure activities. Discuss. An understanding of personal networks is vital to any analysis of Japanese politics. Discuss. Popular culture is one possible means through which to examine negotiations of the self in contemporary Japan. Discuss. The construction of gender in Japan has changed since the economic recession of the 1990s. Discuss. What does an analysis of conflict in Japan teach us about status and class? Use the concept of EITHER Japanese aesthetics OR nihonjinron (theories of Japaneseness) to discuss the construction of Japans modern national identity.

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9. 10.

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Note: For students registered for a degree, this paper is part of an examination counting towards a degree award of the University of London. For other students taking this paper, the final mark awarded may count towards a non-degree School qualification, provided that the student is registered for such a qualification. Examinations are governed by School regulations. School of Oriental and African Studies 2010

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