JAPN 275 - The Japanese Warrior Tradition

This seminar will explore the construction of the Japanese samurai in literature and film. How have the ideals of the warrior tradition become such a powerful component of Japanese self-understanding as well as a key global signifier of Japanese cultural identity? How have representations of the samurai ethos from 1300 to the present informed gender norms, social expectations, and national identity? Students will investigate the historical and contemporary image of the samurai in a wide range of cultural production: literary texts, philosophical writings, art, film, and anime.

 

Anticipated Terms Offered: Bi-annually