Movies, which had a tremendous influence as entertainment in the 20th century, produced a specific kind of representation—the “movie star.” Movie stars were eventually used as cultural apparatus to mobilize people into militarism during wartime and democracy during the postwar period, and they played an important role in determining the Japanese way of thinking and behavior. Also, as the film industry declined, television that penetrated into the home created idols/artists (in a different way from movie stars). The celebrity constructed by the media embedded in everyday life is also indispensable to contemporary cultural industries. This lecture will focus on the history of representation about celebrity, from 20th century movie stars, idols, and artists who have achieved fame through the mediation of mass media to YouTubers and virtual YouTubers created by contemporary social networking culture.
The aim of this lecture is to deepen our understanding of gender/sexuality norms from the collective desire of each society and culture, and to study how fame is constructed in cinema, magazines, television, electronic or mobile media—in other words, to explore visual media culture since the 20th century.
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) Historically grasp movie stars, understand the history of moving pictures.
2) Understand a transition of gender norms from the history of representation of female stars/idols/artists
3) Have a deeper understanding of the media culture we are living in.
Female star, Idol, Artist, Media, Nationalism, Orientalism
✔ Specialist skills | ✔ Intercultural skills | Communication skills | ✔ Critical thinking skills | Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
Based on lecture-style presentations with practical sessions. Students are occasionally given exercise problems related to the contents.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Guidance and introduction | Understand the early cinema and the birth of actress. |
Class 2 | Female stars in prewar (Irie Takako and Yamada Isuzu) | Learn early cinema actresses: Irie Takako and Yamada Isuzu. |
Class 3 | The female star in wartime (Tanaka Kinuyo): Moga to the woman of militarism | Screening Aizen katsura (1938), Learn nationalism and Tanaka Kinuyo. |
Class 4 | The female star in wartime (Li Xianglan) | Consider nationalism through the image of Li Xianglan. |
Class 5 | The muse of militarism/democracy (Hara Setsuko) | Understand nationalism through the image of Hara Setsuko. |
Class 6 | From vamp to 'Grand Prix actress' (Kyo Machiko) | Learn the culture during the occupation period and orientalism through the image of Kyo Machiko. |
Class 7 | From a female star to the national actress (Takamine Hideko) | Consider the post-occupation era through Takamine Hideko's performance. |
Class 8 | The popular entertainment queen (Misora Hibari) | Understand media culture in the 1950s through Misora Hibari. |
Class 9 | The female star of the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema (Wakao Ayako) | Grasp mass culture from Wakao Ayako's performance. |
Class 10 | The Birth of 'Idol' (Yamaguchi Momoe/Matsuda Seiko) | Understand Idol culture in 1970~80s through Yamaguchi Momoe/Matsuda Seiko |
Class 11 | From Idol to Female Artist (Shiina Ringo/Utada Hikaru) | Consider ‘female artists’ in 1990s from the arrival of Shiina Ringo/Utada Hikaru. |
Class 12 | Ordinary people as micro-celebrity | Understand the context in which ordinary people become celebrities. |
Class 13 | The time of overflowing idols | Consider the body images of Morning Musume., AKB48 group, and Momoiro Clover Z. |
Class 14 | The celebrity in the SNS Era | Understanding Virtual YouTuber as 'DIY celebrity.' |
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
None required.
Fujiki, Hideaki. Making Personas. Transnational Film Stardom in Modern Japan. Nagoya: Nagoya University Press. ISBN: 978-4815805739 (Japanese)
Kitamura, Kyohhei. Cultural Sociology of Female Stars: Desiring the Madonna and Vamp in Postwar Japan. Tokyo: Sakuhinsya. ISBN: 978-4861826511 (Japanese)
Kitamura, Kyohhei. The Actress of Beauty and Destruction. Tokyo: Chikumashobo. ISBN: 978-4480016775 (Japanese)
Kitamura, Kyohhei. Shiina Ringo-ron: Rancho-no-Ongaku. Tokyo: Bungeishunju, ISBN: 978-4163916064 (Japanese)
Nishi, Kenji. Idol Culture through the Prism of Media Theory. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press. ISBN: 978-4130530248 (Japanese)
Class participation (40%) and final report (60%)
No prerequisites.
kitamura.k.af@m.titech.ac.jp