Japanese Visual Media: Politicizing the Screen

This book explores the ways in which politics is naturalized and denaturalized,and familiarized and de-familiarized through popular media in Japan,spanning the militarized decades of the 1930s and 1940s to the present day.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 222 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the intricate processes of naturalization, denaturalization, familiarization, and de-familiarization of politics in popular media. It explores the complex dynamics between state actors such as censors, politicized and nonpoliticized audiences, and visual media creators, spanning various periods in the history of Japanese visual media. Through in-depth research, it offers fresh insights into a diverse range of visual media texts, including classical narrative cinema, television, documentary film, manga, and animated film. The book spans the militarized decades of the 1930s and 1940s, the Asia Pacific War, and the present day, demonstrating how politicization and depoliticization are intertwined with broader historical developments such as Japan's postwar devastation, rapid modernization, urbanization, and the challenges posed by an aging population and economic struggles in the twenty-first century. By examining these themes, the book sheds light on the ways in which popular media shapes and influences public perceptions of politics, contributing to the ongoing debate about the role of media in shaping political discourse and society.

Weight: 430g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367722999