Study Questions on Japan’s Minorities
For the readings in Weiner you may refer to class
notes and notes posted on the class e-mail site:
From Chapters that all are required to read (Chap 1,
and 8) questions could be related to an essay, short answer or multiple choice.
For the remaining chapters (2,3,4,5,6,7)
only broad multiple choice questions will appear on the final based on the
study questions offered below.
Weiner, Michael. 1997.
Chap.
1: The Invention of Identity 'Self' and 'Other' in Pre-war Japan
What is the
difference between a nation and a state and why is that important?
Explain the
task that the Meiji Government faced in the 19th and early 20th
century. Make statements and provide
examples in developing your answer.
What did it
mean ‘to create an unbroken sense of continuity based on the restoration of the
Emperor’?
What did
selective revival of the past mean?
What was
the Kazoku Kokka? How might it be organized? And what heritage did it broadly draw upon?
What are Minzoku and Jinshu and how did they also affect
Who were
the excluded others? Did they exist only
outside
During the Meiji era, the idea of "inferior races" became
popularized in
What were
dying races? How did these relate to how
the Japanese identified themselves?
What is
meant by the ‘two tiered and contradictory narrative of race’ during this time
period as
__________________________________________________________________
For chapters 2,3,4,5,6,7 and
8
only multiple choice questions will appear based on information like the
following.
Chapter 2 – Ainu
Who are the
Ainu? Are they Japanese or not? (consider the ideas we discussed concerning nation versus
state or country and also Weiner’s discussion of self and others in pre-war
How long
have the Ainu been in
In a
country of about 127 million people about how many Ainu are there?
What is
meant by the fact that
How aware
of the Ainu are the average Japanese according to this article?
Chapter 3 -- Burakumin
Who are the Burakumin? Where did
they come from?
Are they
actually a separate group for the rest of the Japanese?
How/When were
the Burakumin created?
What is their
current situation?
In 1965 a
government Commission of Inquiry published a report on the Burakumin,
what kinds of things did it conclude?
What was the
BLL and what did they want?
What kinds of
issues did the Special Measures address regarding Burakumin?
Currently are
the numbers of those who identify themselves as Burakumin
increasing or decreasing? Why is there
this change?
Chapter 4 – Korean Hibakusha
Why are
Koreans in
Historically
how have Japanese viewed Koreans living and working in
Who are the
Hibakusha?
What is their problem?
Are the
Korean Hibakusha better off or worse off then the
Japanese Hibakusha?
What do
Korean Hibakusha want?
Chapter 5 – Chinese
There are three
general periods of Chinese immigration and relations with
1. Historical up to the Tokagawa
closing of the
2. Tokagawa period when
3. The Meiji and up until the end of WWII
In each of these periods how did the Japanese view the
Chinese and Chinese culture, as superiors, inferiors, or equals?
Did the
Sino-Japanese war of 1894/95 confirm the Japanese view of their relative
position in this hierarchy in comparison to
Chapter 6 – Ryukkyuans/Okinawans
Based on Demko’s definition of a “nation” might we think of the
What was
“joint-subordination” and at the time who subordinated the
When were
the
When/for
how long did the
Did the
people of the
Today would
the people of the
Chapter 7 -- Nikkeijin
What is the
role of the Nikkeijin in modern
Who are
they, and roughly how many of them are there, and how do they fit into
Why are
they coming to
Do you find
similarities or differences in the way they are treated versus other minorities
in
Would you
say they are treated better, worse or the same as other minorities in
Does Japan's pre-WWII history of
defining itself using the concepts of Minzoku and Jinshu and social Darwinism help us to understand the
complex and sometimes confusing relationship of Japan to the Nikkeijin versus other minority groups?
Does this also suggest a difficult
issue that
Chapter 8: Soto and Uchi
‘Others’: Imaging Diversity
What do the
following terms mean?
How has
What has been the Japanese view of African-Americans?
What image
of other Asians has been portrayed in advertising in