Introduction

Queer lives in contemporary Japan

Bibliographic Data

ID18969747
AuthorsSabine Frühstück (0000-0003-4517-6547, University of California, Santa Barbara, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume19
Issue2
Pages77-85
Publication date2020-04-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsian Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1683-478X • E-ISSN: 2168-4227
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1683478x.2020.1756072
OpenAlexW3034480875
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited13

This introduction aims to situate four research articles on “Queer Lives in Contemporary Japan” in the larger field of gender and sexuality studies. It argues that, historically, the concepts “queer” or “transgender” are not particularly novel. Early twentieth-century progressives in Japan observed and sought social acceptance and suggested that individuals thought of as “sexually abnormal” would one day outnumber single-sex/gender men and women. Yet, the Japan story is more complicated and contradictory than the notion of a neat progression from the 1920s to our own moment would suggest. It also has more local and cultural flavor than the increasingly global sexual rights struggle might indicate. Ultimately, the introduction highlights the significant self-conscious individualism and self-determination a broad range of individuals bring to bear in order to pursue the increasing normalization of queer lives

Aesthetics · Art · Human sexuality · Individualism · Political science · Queer · Sexual orientation · Sociology · Transgender · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Gender Studies · Japanese History and Culture · Law · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy

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Open DOIOpen Access