The Land of the Setting Sun: An Examination of Contrasting Japanese Expressions of Nostalgia in Kazuo Ishiguro, Hayao Miyazaki, and Yukio Mishima

This project aims to contrast three differing expressions of nostalgia regarding the loss of traditional forms of life in Japan present in three Japanese cultural figures: the novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, the filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, and the novelist Yukio Mishima. A significant amount of academic literature has already been published on the theme of nostalgia in these figures; however, the approach frequently taken in this literature largely takes the term “nostalgia” as elementary, neglecting the important work that has been done in the field of nostalgia studies over the last 25 years to advance a more subtle understanding of the concept, particularly its status as a distinctly modern emotion. By utilizing the insights provided by nostalgia studies to conduct a more subtle analysis of the nostalgia present in Ishiguro, Miyazaki, and Mishima, the project aims to both help clarify the true nature of Japanese expressions of nostalgia for a lost Japan and to identify what these three particular expressions of nostalgia are able to contribute to our understanding of nostalgia more broadly, beyond the Japanese context. Apart from the knowledge production itself, the project also affords an excellent opportunity for Japanese and Canadian researchers to network with one another.

Faculty Supervisor:

Daniel Tanguay

Student:

Partner:

Kobe University

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Entertainment and Media; Public Service, Policy, and Governance; Social Innovation

University:

University of Ottawa

Program: