Administering Affect
Pop-Culture Japan and the Politics of Anxiety
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Stanford University Press
Published:19th Jul '22
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
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- Paperback£21.99(9781503632196)
This book explores how Japanese state bureaucrats manage public sentiment through pop-culture branding. It examines the relationship between national identity, anxiety, and governance in contemporary Japan.
In "Administering Affect," Daniel White explores the intricate relationship between state administration and public sentiment in Japan. He investigates how the feelings of the populace are shaped by the actions and policies of government officials, particularly in the context of Japan's economic struggles that began in the early 1990s. The concept of "Pop-Culture Japan" emerges as a national figure that reflects the aspirations of state bureaucrats and political leaders aiming to restore Japan's global standing. This new identity serves as a response to the anxiety stemming from regional competition and geopolitical tensions in East Asia.
White’s work is grounded in extensive ethnographic research conducted over sixteen months, focusing on the often-overlooked world of government bureaucrats. He delves into various initiatives associated with Pop-Culture Japan, such as the promotion of anime diplomats and the "Cool Japan" branding campaigns. Through these examples, he illustrates how the management of national culture is intertwined with public feelings of anxiety, revealing a significant connection between state practices and the emotional landscape of the Japanese populace.
The term "administering affect" encapsulates White's argument that anxiety has become a target for bureaucratic intervention and a technique for promoting national culture. By examining the emotional lives of Japan's state officials and how these feelings influence policymaking, the book offers a compelling anthropological perspective on the dynamics between governance, popular culture, and national identity. White's analysis provides valuable insights into the ways in which emotional states can shape political strategies and public perception, making "Administering Affect" a thought-provoking contribution to the understanding of contemporary Japan.
"Administering Affect leaves no ethnographic stone unturned. It is artfully organized and compellingly written. Its scholarship is meticulous and masterfully synthetic. Its conceptual contributions are original and wide-ranging. It should be required reading for anyone interested in the impulsions and compulsions of the contemporary dynamics of soft power."—James Faubion, Rice University
"This is a bracing read: original, evocative, beautifully organized, and deeply persuasive. It's a rare piece of work, clearly situated in disciplinary debates and practices while offering far wider and equally substantive contributions."—David Leheny, Waseda University
"With this long-awaited monograph, White proves himself a major contributor to research on media culture, affect, and governmental policy. With startling access and insights, White examines the deeply personal work of male bureaucrats—less as efficient automatons and more as highly fallible humans—crafting national anxieties with the paintbrush of girl-cute in Japan."—Christine Yano, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
"White gives a unique, ethnographic case study of the efforts by the Japanese government to promote 'Pop-Culture Japan' as a means of reducing the anxieties caused by increased international competitiveness and regional tensions in East Asia. Based on extraordinary access to those in the Japanese government responsible for planning and implementing this program, the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and the Japan Foundation, the book features detailed analysis of and insights into the 'Cool Japan' branding campaigns, the young female 'Ambassadors of Cute,' and the promotion of anime, all designed by mostly male Japanese bureaucrats to foster appreciation of Japanese culture and reduce political anxieties....Recommended."—M. D. Ericson, CHOICE
"White's work underscores that in furthering our understandings of Japanese society as a whole, we cannot be beholden to dominant narratives and groups. We must recognize the diversity of experience and practice that state narratives often elide and obfuscate."—John Ostermiller, Pacific Affairs
ISBN: 9781503630680
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
264 pages