JAPAN STUDIES LUNCHTIME SPEAKERS SERIES, 2024-2025
The gender category shōjo (lit. “girl”), which emerged in the early 20th century, underwent a radical transformation during wartime. With the introduction of shōkokumin ( junior citizens) as a representation of children in girls’ magazines, shōjo became both genderless and classless. While girls continued to be portrayed within the traditional norms of being a good wife and wise mother, they were also depicted as equally capable of contributing to the war effort.
This presentation will demonstrate the various ways in which girls were shown as active participants in the war through photographs and illustrations in Shojo no tomo and Shojo kurabu from 1937 to 1945 – whether visiting injured soldiers, serving as nurses, working in factories, or even becoming pilots.
This talk is free and open to the public. No registration is required.
Date & Time:
Wednesday, October 2, 2024 | 12:30pm – 2:00pm
Location:
CK Choi Building, Room 351, 1855 West Mall, Vancouver
Speaker
Ai Yamamoto is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia. Her research is on modern and contemporary Japanese literature and culture. She is interested in relationships between girls’ culture, war, and the subject formation of women writers.
