A modern popular culture in middle-class Japan

What is it about?

This special issue discusses the emergence of the middle-class in Japan and its impact on modern popular culture. It presents a thematic section of five papers that discusses the historical development of middle-class patterns in popular culture consumption, and arose from a panel presented at the Second East Asian Popular Culture Association Conference in January 2021. This special issue argues that popular culture has played a central role in promoting the interests of a modern Japanese state, which was dominated by authoritarian control that continued long after the 1945 surrender. The special issue highlights the changing roles of women and images of femininity that have emerged from modernization in Japan and the central role of gender and their depiction in popular culture in this planned development as a central theme of conflict as the Japanese middle-class popular culture.

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Why is it important?

This thematic issue about the emergence of the middle class in Japan and its impact on modern popular culture is important because it sheds light on the relationship between social and cultural developments in Japan. The emergence of the middle class in Japan was a significant social and economic shift that affected many aspects of Japanese society, including popular culture. This issue provides a deeper understanding of how the middle class has influenced the consumption and production of popular culture in Japan, as well as the role that popular culture has played in promoting the interests of the state. The issue examines how the changing roles of women and images of femininity in popular culture have reflected broader changes in Japanese society, particularly in relation to modernization. It also explores the tensions and conflicts that have arisen as a result of these changes and their impact on Japanese society.

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