Voice, Silence, and Self: Negotiations of Buraku Identity in Contemporary Japan (Harvard East Asian Monographs)

The Burakumin. Stigmatized throughout Japanese history as an outcaste group, their identity is still risky, their social presence mostly silent, and their experience marginalized in public discourse. They are contemporary Japan s largest minority group between 1.5 and 3 million people. How do young people today learn about being burakumin? How do they struggle with silence and search for an authentic voice for their complex experience? "Voice, Silence, and Self" examines how the mechanisms of silence surrounding burakumin issues are reproduced and challenged in Japanese society. It explores the ways in which schools and social relationships shape people s identity as burakumin within a protective cocoon where risk is minimized. Based on extensive ethnographic research and interviews, this longitudinal work explores the experience of burakumin youth from two different communities and with different social movement organizations. Christopher Bondy explores how individuals navigate their social world, demonstrating the ways in which people make conscious decisions about the disclosure of a stigmatized identity. This compelling study is relevant to scholars and students of Japan studies and beyond. It provides crucial examples for all those interested in issues of identity, social movements, stigma, and education in a comparative setting." Voice, Silence, and Self: Negotiations of Buraku Identity in Contemporary Japan Contents Acknowledgments Note to the Reader List of Abbreviations 1. Silent Introductions Social Silence Experiencing Silence Chapter Progression 2. Backgrounds and Struggles Historical Background Emancipation Finding Backgrounds Early Social Movement Organizations Postwar Buraku Social Movements Dōwa Policies Denunciation Sessions Fracturing of the Movement Conclusion 3. Movement Integration: Silence and Cultural Practices Kuromatsu and the Jiyū Dōwa Kai Takagawa and the Buraku Liberation League Children’s Club Literacy Classes Signs and Symbols Creating the Kaihō no Matsuri The Festival Conclusion 4. Lessons of Silence: Buraku Issues in School Schooling in Japan Dōwa Education Kuromatsu Buraku Issues in Hinode Ju nior High School Dōwa Education within the District The Curriculum Takagawa Centering Buraku Concerns Local Experiences Outside the Classroom Takagawa Elementary School Student Reactions Conclusion 5. Social Space and Social Interactions: Practicing in the Protective Cocoon Making Friends and Marking Difference in Kuromatsu The Takagawa Children’s Club Social Interaction and Trust Club, School, and Community: Making Connections Preparing Burakumin Children for the Future Fateful Moments: The Graffiti Incident Open Space: A School- Wide Discussion of Discrimination “Safety” of the Children’s Club Conclusion 6. Beyond the Cocoon: Passing on to the Next Stage The First Steps beyond the Cocoon: The Move to High School Beyond Hinode Junior High School Beyond Takagawa Junior High School Entering the Adult World Sustained Silence in Adulthood Unexpectedly Silent Institutional Changes Municipal Consolidation Continued Silence in Kuromatsu Changes in Takagawa Conclusion Conclusion: Calling for a Discrimination- Free Society Managing Stigma What Does the Future Hold? Appendix: Methods of Silence Notes References Index Harvard East Asian Monographs Stigmatized throughout Japanese history as outcastes, the burakumin are contemporary Japan's largest minority. In this study of youths from two different communities, Christopher Bondy explores how individuals navigate their social world, demonstrating the ways in which people make conscious decisions about disclosing a stigmatized identity. "Based on extensive ethnographic research and interviews, this longitudinal work explores the experience of Burakumin youth from two different communities and with different social movement organizations"-- Provided by publisher