This thesis discusses rehabilitation for the mentally ill in Japan. Though not completely new to Japan, rehabilitation as a method is only slowly progressing despite several researches that have...Show moreThis thesis discusses rehabilitation for the mentally ill in Japan. Though not completely new to Japan, rehabilitation as a method is only slowly progressing despite several researches that have shown positive results come from rehabilitation. A light is shown on the current situation from the viewpoint of the government, the patients and the family in order to clarify the reason for this slow progress of rehabilitation in Japan.Show less
In this thesis my research question is to find out how the male gaze influenced the relation between representations of female bodies in video games and sexualisation and weakness. Firstly I look...Show moreIn this thesis my research question is to find out how the male gaze influenced the relation between representations of female bodies in video games and sexualisation and weakness. Firstly I look at what other scholars have written about the representation of female characters in video games and note how objectification and the sexualised representation of women implicitly tends to be associated with the negative role stereotyping and passive gender roles. In questioning this, I take a different approach compared to previous research. Drawing from feminist and gender theories, I analyse three female characters that each depict a different relation between the body, male gaze and power. I show how the two characters who appear to be lesser sexualised, Zelda and Samus, appear to suffer more severely from the male gaze than Bayonetta does. Bayonetta, in turn, can be analysed as a critique towards the male gaze and masculine status. From the analysis I will conclud that it is not exclusively the visual appearance that determines whether a character is portrayed as weak or not, but that the gaze plays an important role as well.Show less
The work of the Japanese contemporary artist Nara Yoshitomo is followed by groups of loyal fans, which consist mainly of young women. In this thesis I will investigate the relationship between the...Show moreThe work of the Japanese contemporary artist Nara Yoshitomo is followed by groups of loyal fans, which consist mainly of young women. In this thesis I will investigate the relationship between the works by Nara Yoshitomo and these young female fans. These fans feel attracted to his work and at the same time engage with his work in various ways. This situation brings forth the following questions: what elements are there in the artistic language of Nara Yoshitomo that these fans find so appealing? How do they interpret the art by Nara Yoshitomo? And what is the relationship between Nara's art and these groups of young female fans? I will answer these research questions by discussing 'Your Childhood' (2001) and 'Aomori dog' (2005), two works by this artist that involved interaction with his fans. I will interpret these works from the eyes of its fans by observing their reactions on fan sites and blogs, applying the concepts of 'shoujo', 'nostalgia' and 'transitional object'. Eventually I will conclude that Nara’s fans appreciate the cute and nostalgic visual elements in Nara’s art as ‘shoujo’ or ‘nostalgic subjects’, as these young women are known for their consumption of cute and nostalgic things in order to escape temporarily from their social obligations. However, the belief that Nara’s fans act solely as passive consumers of his art may be challenged since they also play an active role as producers around Nara’s art via a wide range of participatory actions targeting his work.Show less
