This thesis focuses on the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido Japan, and how they were represented in visual sources from the early modern period. The analysis features twelve prints and...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido Japan, and how they were represented in visual sources from the early modern period. The analysis features twelve prints and scrolls that show the Ainu as inferior or 'other' to their Japanese neighbors. Furthermore, the sources involve the concepts of racial stereotyping and power conflicts.Show less
The year 2018 saw the ratification of both the Strategic Partnership Agreement, as well as the Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and the EU. These agreements constitute a major...Show moreThe year 2018 saw the ratification of both the Strategic Partnership Agreement, as well as the Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and the EU. These agreements constitute a major enhancement of the bilateral relationship between Japan and the EU. A relationship, as both parties stress, that is founded on shared universal values. The two parties are often seen as natural partners, for both underscore the importance of maintaining the international order which rests upon these values. The EU advocates universal values through the inclusion of conditionality clauses in FTAs, linking political interests such as universal values with commercial benefits. In the past decades, the Japanese government, too, has shifted towards increasingly emphasizing universal values in its diplomacy. However, this thesis challenges the value-orientated rhetoric that surrounds the EU-Japan relationship. In this thesis it is argued that instead of natural allies, Japan and the EU are in fact artificial allies, as both sides interpret and implement values in ways that suit their respective foreign policies. This is demonstrated by means of a case study based on the Rohingya crisis. By analysing how Japan and the EU have approached this situation, this thesis seeks to shed light on a gap between Japanese and European foreign policies, and by extension a gap in the interpretation of universal values.Show less
In this thesis an attempt is made to examine the use of gendered sentence final expressions in the Japanese animated film Kimi no Na wa. The two research questions stated in this thesis aim to...Show moreIn this thesis an attempt is made to examine the use of gendered sentence final expressions in the Japanese animated film Kimi no Na wa. The two research questions stated in this thesis aim to uncover whether there is a trend observable where young Japanese male and female speakers tend to use less stereotypically gendered sentence final expressions (SFE) and more neutral ones. Therefore, the two research questions are: do the two main characters of the film Kimino Na wa mainly use neutrally gendered sentence-final expressions? And does the young female protagonist Mitsuha use more masculine sentence-final expressions than feminine ones? Using data collected in prior studies that demonstrate the traditional gender association of many Japanese SFE, the SFE used by the two main characters were collected and compared to answer these questions. The conclusion shows that there is indeed a trend visible where young female and male speakers tend to use more gender neutral SFE than stereotypical feminine and/or masculine ones. This study would benefit from future research that also takes in mind other gender specific language aspects in the Japanese language, such as pitch, use of honorifics, and use of first- and second-person pronouns.Show less
