The Representation of Japanese Politics in Manga: The Visual Literacy Of Statecraft

This edited volume explores political motives, discourses, and agendas in Japanese manga and graphic art, highlighting the agency of Japanese and wider Asian storytelling traditions within the context of global political traditions. It examines the relationship between Japan's political storytelling practices, media, and bureaucratic discourse, and demonstrates how manga and the mediality of graphic arts have begun to incorporate political discourses, undermining hegemonic cultural constructs.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 298 pages
Publication date: 29 April 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This edited volume delves into the political motivations, discourses, and agendas found in Japanese manga and graphic art, with the aim of showcasing the agency of Japanese and wider Asian storytelling traditions within the framework of global political traditions. The chapters presented herein are extensively illustrated and explore the intricate relationship between Japan's political storytelling practices, media, and bureaucratic discourse, as manifested in both the visual arts and modern pop-cultural authors. Spanning from pioneering cartoonist Tezuka Osamu to contemporary manga artists like Kotobuki Shiriagari and Fumiyo Kōno, as well as including examples from videogames and everyday merchandise, a wealth of source material is analyzed using cross-genre techniques. Furthermore, the book challenges the notion that manga, unlike the bandes dessinées and American superhero comic traditions, is apolitical. Contributors instead demonstrate that manga and the mediality of graphic arts have begun to actively incorporate political discourses, undermining hegemonic cultural constructs that support either the status quo or emerging brands of neonationalism in Japanese society. The Representation of Politics in Manga will serve as a valuable resource for students and scholars of Japanese studies, media and popular cultural studies, as well as practitioners in the graphic arts.

Weight: 550g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367617899