Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
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Under the title ‘seeing culture by ear’, this thesis discusses what radio and radio studies is able to ‘show’ academia, what Japanese radio listeners get to ‘see’ when they tune in to their...Show moreUnder the title ‘seeing culture by ear’, this thesis discusses what radio and radio studies is able to ‘show’ academia, what Japanese radio listeners get to ‘see’ when they tune in to their favourite (community) radio stations and why these stations can be eye-opening for scholars researching radio and communities. The main argument is that radio is able to (greatly) contribute to the socialisation and cultivation of its listeners (especially on a local level) and that it is an appropriate medium for creating a sense of locality. To show how this could possibly be achieved, this thesis uses George Gerbner’s “Cultural Indicators Approach” and applies it to two community radio stations in northern Japan, namely FM Wappy in Wakkanai (Hokkaidō) and BeFM in Hachinohe (Aomori). By looking at the institutions involved with the creation of broadcasts and the messages which actually fill the airwaves, it becomes easier to see how the cultivating (and socialising) capabilities of these radio stations are realised. A few of the results are the large emphasis on the experiences of people, the participation of the station with local events and the opportunity for members of the community to create their own (short) shows. Also, especially in the case of BeFM, a continuous referral to local history, culture and language adds to the idea of radio being a tool for strengthening communal sentiments and local identity. Besides secondary (academic) literature, this thesis also contains fieldwork done by the author in 2015, an interview held with Mrs. Katō Yumi, the chairwoman of the board of directors at FM Wappy, and a message analysis of radio programmes broadcast during the summer of 2016.Show less
Around the 12th century AD in Japan, a cultural transition takes place on the northern island of Hokkaido: Okhotsk culture and Satsumon culture (approx. 6th to 12th century AD) come to an end as...Show moreAround the 12th century AD in Japan, a cultural transition takes place on the northern island of Hokkaido: Okhotsk culture and Satsumon culture (approx. 6th to 12th century AD) come to an end as Ainu culture emerges. The Okhotsk people, focused strongly on exploitation of marine resources, originated on the island of Sakhalin and migrated south to Hokkaido and along its northeastern coast. The Satsumon people on the other hand, lived mostly in riverine settlements on the southern half and inland of Hokkaido. They practiced agriculture of wheat, barley and millet, as well as salmon fishing. This cultural transition is not yet well understood. I will focus on the role of Okhotsk culture in this process. How did interaction and exchange of Okhotsk people with Satsumon culture impact its decline and the transition to proto-Ainu culture on Hokkaido? To investigate this issue, Peer Polity Interaction theory is applied. Within this framework, eight different types of interaction are defined: competition, competitive emulation, warfare, transmission of innovation, symbolic entrainment, ceremonial exchange of valuables, flow of commodities, and language and ethnicity. This theory avoids insinuating dominance of one group over the other, and allows for the incorporation not just of material culture but also symbolic aspects. Using the English sources available, 32 Okhotsk sites have been examined for evidence of interaction and exchange with Satsumon culture according to these categories. The existing theories about the decline of Okhotsk culture involving migration, trade and warfare have been analyzed, and then reevaluated based on the results of the Peer Polity Interaction approach. Evidence of Satsumon pottery at Okhotsk sites, iron goods and import of bear cubs all points to a larger reliance on trade and exchange than previously assumed, to the detriment of Okhotsk production. This increased interaction allowed for symbolic entrainment to occur, leading to a more widespread adoption of an early form of the bear sending ceremony. This ritual is known ethnographically from later Ainu culture, but not Satsumon culture which is said to be its main ancestor. This research aims to contribute to our understanding of interaction between marine hunter-gatherers and agricultural people.Show less
