Description |
1 online resource (xxxiv, 186 pages) : black and white illustrations |
Contents |
The linguistic concept of "play" in Japanese -- Play as a formative element of culture -- The otherness of play -- The rules of the game, or, how to become the best player -- Creativity in play -- Contested meanings of play |
Summary |
"Play is one of the most powerful cultural forces in contemporary Japan and in other late modern societies. In this notable contribution to our understanding of play, Michal Daliot-Bul explores the intricate and dynamic transformations of culture and play (asobi) in Japan. Along the way, she takes readers on a theoretically informed journey to better comprehend what makes play a significant cultural function, asking such questions as "How can we explain the dialectics between play as a biological instinct and play as a culturally specific activity? What defines the best player? How is creativity related to play? What is the difference between play and playfulness? Are some cultures more play-oriented than others, and if so, why?" Daliot-Bul argues that the cultural meaning of play and its influence on sociocultural life are not inherent properties of a fixed, universal behavior called play but rather are conditioned by changing cultural contexts and competing social ideologies. Spanning Japan's premodern period to the twenty-first century, the extent and expressions of play described in this book become thought-provoking lenses through which to view Japanese social dynamics and cultural complexities. As she approaches the post-industrialized 1970s in Japan, Daliot-Bul's narrative also explores urban consumer culture as a system for organizing daily life, the tension between institutional and contemporary popular cultures, the production of new gender identities, and the cultural construction of urban space."--Publisher's description |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
Notes |
In English |
|
Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. http://purl.oclc.org/DLF/benchrepro0212 MiAaHDL |
|
Print version record |
|
digitized 2017 HathiTrust Digital Library committed to preserve pda MiAaHDL |
SUBJECT |
Honʼyaku iin shachū Japan gnd |
Subject |
Play -- Japan -- History
|
|
Leisure -- Japan -- History
|
|
SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Anthropology -- Cultural.
|
|
Leisure
|
|
Manners and customs
|
|
Play
|
|
Unterhaltung
|
|
Gesellschaftsleben
|
|
Lek -- historia.
|
|
Fritid -- historia.
|
|
Samhällsliv.
|
|
Traditioner.
|
|
Play -- Japan -- History.
|
|
Leisure -- Japan -- History.
|
SUBJECT |
Japan -- Social life and customs. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85069579
|
Subject |
Japan
|
|
Japan -- Social life and customs.
|
Genre/Form |
History
|
Form |
Electronic book
|
ISBN |
0824847881 |
|
0824868994 |
|
9780824868994 |
|
9780824847883 |
|