A negative and controversial stigma shrouds the notion of tattoos globally. As of recently, societies globally have increasingly become more tolerant of the exposure of tattoos in public and in...Show moreA negative and controversial stigma shrouds the notion of tattoos globally. As of recently, societies globally have increasingly become more tolerant of the exposure of tattoos in public and in particular, professional environments or workplaces. This increased tolerance can predominantly be found in Western society. Often times, this increased tolerance is perceived to be applicable globally, credited largely to Western-dominated mainstream media. However, the negative stigma associated with tattoos persists in many East Asian societies and is largely regarded as taboo. These notions of taboo are largely attributed to associations with gangs, violence and criminal activities represented through different mediums like movies, newspapers, and word of mouth (see Figure 2). Despite this, East Asian societies like that of Japan's, still possess dedicated tattoo artist that practice tattooing, whether this is in "Japanese-style" tattooing or numerous other styles. The idea of Japanese tattoos is a largely sought-after style of tattooing not only within Japan but also in numerous Western societies, such as the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). It would not be in the wrong to presume that in fact, Japanese-style tattoos are in greater demand outside of Japan than within and are seen in less-controversial limelight than that of Japan, which leads us to a possible inquiry and the investigation of this thesis, how can there be such a difference of perspective of tattoos between Japan and Western nations like the US and UK in Japan-style tattoos? I use aspects of Edward Said's notion of Orientalism (1978) and Primitivism as the theoretical framework into three distinct periods: Meiji era (1868-1912) and the Contemporary era (1945-2020), and implement Richard Rogers' theory of cultural appropriation (2006) as a methodology to dissect ukiyo-e art, diaries from royal "western" figures, interviews and documentaries that depict experiences with Japanese tattooing practices. In the postwar era (1945-) Japan underwent tremendous political, cultural, and economic change under the Allied powers as a result of World War II. It is for this reason that the contemporary era is framed from 1945-2020 to portray the approach Japan took when it came to Japanese-style tattoos. As well as how Western society, in particular the United States, exported Japanese-style tattoos to audiences globally, due to American tattoo artists coming in contact with Japanese tattoo artists first. The overall aim of the investigation will shed light on how the previous mediums have historically engaged with cultural appropriation and orientalism in Japan, to create what we know of today as Japanese-style tattoos.Show less
To encounter a flower, a snowflake, or a moon in haiku it is not uncommon. A great amount of haiku follow a rule, or an aesthetic preference, that the elements of nature should be present in its...Show moreTo encounter a flower, a snowflake, or a moon in haiku it is not uncommon. A great amount of haiku follow a rule, or an aesthetic preference, that the elements of nature should be present in its form with a 5-7-5 syllables arrangement. All of these preferences were challenged in the Secondary Art Debate (daini geijutsu ronsō 第二芸術論争) after WWII. What poetry should do was beyond this form of art. This discourse was brought into heated discussion and opposed by numerous contemporary haiku poets. Nakamura Kusatao 中村草田男(1901-1983), one of the founding haiku poets of the so-called “the Humanity-pursuit group” (ningen tankyūha 人間探求派), pioneered in this debate. He publicly refuted the condemnation of haiku as a “secondary art” and dedicated his life to strengthen his position in this debate, and dedicated his entire career to the modernization of haiku. The central research question of this thesis is how Nakamura envisage the modernization of twentieth-century haiku. In the further discussion, Nakamura’s attitude towards modern haiku is to be discussed. The context that apparently stimulated Nakamura to explore innovation in haiku will be provided in the first chapter, where two major debates in his life are the center of discussion. To understand the general directions that his innovations took, his haiku theory will be introduced in the following chapter. In the third chapter, the analysis will go through his major work from the form to the content to examine the differences between Nakamura’s work and the traditional work before him.Show less
“During 21st century, right-wing populist parties in Europe have gained an unprecedented momentum and are slowly changing its political realms. World events of 2016 such as the UK’s vote to exit...Show more“During 21st century, right-wing populist parties in Europe have gained an unprecedented momentum and are slowly changing its political realms. World events of 2016 such as the UK’s vote to exit the European Union and United States’ presidential election of Donald Trump further underlined the general turn to the populist right. Therefore, it becomes increasingly important to identify and explain the key triggers of voting preferences for such anti-establishment parties in a previously democratic context. The research presents the top five traditional scholarly explanations for increasing support for the populist far-right (immigration, Euroscepticism, new media, globalization, modernization and economic crisis), and further tests them through a comparative analysis of two distinct European states largely affected by the populist resurgence – Hungary and France. The analysis in this paper is based on polling data from the Eurobarometer survey, alongside secondary literature, and attempts not only at testing the above-mentioned scholarly explanations, but pinpointing the similarities and differences of voting preferences for the populist far-right between Eastern and Western European voters, which currently remain under researched.”Show less
In this thesis i explore the changing boundaries of gender and sexuality in nineteenth century Iran. Iranian society was greatly influenced by European modernity and tried to combine this met...Show moreIn this thesis i explore the changing boundaries of gender and sexuality in nineteenth century Iran. Iranian society was greatly influenced by European modernity and tried to combine this met Iranian tradition and Islam. By analyzing the books The Vices of Men and The Education of Women i show how traditional upper-class Iranians dealt with the modernization of gender and sexuality in society.Show less
