CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2022
| Author | YOSHII, Anri |
|---|---|
| Title | Redefining Hegemonic Masculinities through Self-Care Practices: Japanese Soshokukei Masculinities |
| Summary | This thesis explores how Japanese men in their 20s negotiate Soshokukei masculinity(ties) characterized by their self-absorbed, self-disciplined, or self-care practices as the hegemonic form of masculinity in the 21st century, which marks an oppositional shift from the previous and longstanding ideal of ‘salaryman’ masculinity in Japan. Through the analysis of interviews with 13 Japanese men living in urban spaces (Osaka and Tokyo) in their 20s, i.e., the Soshokukei generation, I demonstrate they redefine their sense of manhood by engaging in self-care practices, particularly skincare and fitness. The discourse of Japanese masculinity has centered on the salaryman hegemonic figure, characterized by their strong work ethic, loyalty, and life-long dedication to corporations. Yet since the fall of their heroic masculinity around the 1990s, young Japanese men are argued to abandon these salaryman’s ideality. Then, in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the significance of one’s self-caring lifestyle. Yet, Japanese young men embodying this new form of masculinity were already considered to be interested in such lifestyles, which entail aesthetics and health. Thus, this thesis is significant as it 1) demonstrates the current outlook of Soshokukei masculinity since the 2000s, which also implicates potential changes since the pandemic, and 2) analyzes actual accounts of young Japanese men which were missing in previous studies. This thesis contributes to the global masculinity studies established by Austrian sociologist Raewyn Connell and Japanese masculinity studies led by Romit Dasgupta (2000, 2003, 2009, 2010), Futoshi Taga (2002, 2005, 2018), and Tomoko Hidaka (2010) but also to the new conceptualization of Soshokukei masculinity, or broadly, self/body management masculinity by Masahiro Morioka (2011), Steven Chen (2012), Justin Charlebois (2013, 2017), and Laura Miller (2003). By situating my thesis in the theorization of aesthetics and feminization of male bodies in consumer culture, I showed the implication of their new existence in images, possibly termed as "men-as-images,” which has not been the case historically. Finally, this thesis is one attempt to work with Connell’s publication (2014) “Margin becoming centre: for a world-centred rethinking of masculinities” where she reflects on her previous theorization of masculinity and critiques the unidirectional flow of knowledge produced in the metropole institution. With the agenda of the world-centered rethinking of masculinities, I do not simply explore this culturally specific form of masculinity but show how THE (totalizing) hegemonic masculinity has become “pluralized” masculinities within the same socio-cultural space of Japan and at the intersection of its local/global interactions. |
| Supervisor | Barát, Erzsébet |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2022/yoshii_anri.pdf |
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