Month: May 2016
Japanese Mythology and Nationalism: Myths of genesis, Japanese identity, and Familism
In the nationalism’s toolbox, mythology is one of the most useful and productive tools for the construction of national identity. Mythic tales provide a sense of ‘essence’ for the nation; in a way, they symbolize the ‘roots’ for the members of nation. Because of this valuable meaning, pre-nationalist /nationalist thinkers revive and reproduce them according …
The “Literature of the Catastrophe” as a Canon: From Genbaku Bungaku to Fukushima Bungaku
The literary responses to Fukushima disaster appeared in the last few years highlighted the similarities with Hiroshima and Nagasaki experience as long as both tragedies were caused by an arguable usage of nuclear power. What is remarkable, is that a seismically active area like Japan subjected to earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions ever since, has not …
The Sustainability and Effects of Community Based Tourism: A Comparative Case Study of Thailand and Lao PDR
Tourism is a substantial mechanism for driving economic growth in many countries. In the present, there are various kinds of Tourism which meet the new demands of tourists such as Eco-Tourism, Pro-Poor Tourism, and Community based Tourism. However, tourism development without care may cause many problems to the tourism sites and villagers. In this research …
Religion and Religious Fundamentalism: Today’s Challenges
The paper will attempt to analyse interrelations between religion and religious fundamentalism, characteristics of religious fundamentalism, its nature, roots, and main elements. Three preliminary observations can be made. Firstly, usually the case is that of either methodological maximalism or minimalism. Secondly, scientific approach should be distinguished from journalistic one. Thirdly, there is a noticeable tendency to …
The Phenomenon of Glocalization Practices of Japanese Popular Culture in Indonesia
Globalization is a phenomenon that can make boundaries between regions become apparent or border-less. Globalization itself has evolved into an influential paradigm since the beginning of the 1990s where between regions or countries are able to give each other their influence to other countries, through economics, politics and culture. Thus the existence of globalization has …
Is Everybody Present?
Over the past five decades, the interest in the contemplative practices of world wisdom traditions has been steadily expanding all through the Western culture. Education in general and higher education, in particular, has also incorporated these ‘inner sciences’ as they are often called. Contemplative practices foster a more compassionate understanding of the behavior and values …
The Relationship of Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law between Organizational Climate and Organizational Citizenship Behavior : A Case Study for Career Women
By 2060, Taiwan is expected to become a super-aged society with approximately 40% of its population classified as elderly citizens, and the labor shortage is expected to reach 1.96 million people. Although the labor shortage can be improved through industrial transformation and technological development, adding new sources of labor is the most direct solution. The …
Kioku: An Analysis of How the Memory of the World War II Remains Influencing Social and Political Aspects in Japan
On 15 August 1945, the Japanese people listened on the radio, through the words of Emperor Hirohito himself, the unconditional surrender of their country. The World War II was then coming to an end at the Pacific theater. However, the end of the war created fertile soil for various memories about the conflicts that happened …
Mediated Compassion and the Politics of Displaced Bodies
In media’s attempt to humanize the impact of war, dramatic images of disgruntled human bodies seeking refuge in faraway lands have become symbols of suffering and calls for humanitarian action. However, some media scholars are claiming that compassion fatigue is desensitizing media audiences to the human cost of war. This article argues that certain images …
Legal Development of the Protection of Cultural Property: From the Event of Armed Conflict to the Illicit Trafficking
Cultural property becomes one of the most important evidences which can reify the past and proclaim a cultural lineage connecting between the present generations of the society and their ancestors; hence, it is hardly surprising that the importance of cultural property is worthy to be protected. However, it is found that, before the twentieth century, …
Operation of a Bed and Breakfast in E-Commerce and Clan Society
The Internet is one of the most widely used channels for the purpose of micromarketing (also called local or individual marketing). The e-commerce platform built on the internet brings new opportunities for the tourism industry.Kinmen is dominated by clan society. The influence of clan society can also be seen there on the management and marketing …
Understanding the Insides of Un-Soung Pai (1900-1978): Records About Korean Artists’ Work and Life, Including Their Identity
This presentation explores the role of identity, and the issues surrounding it, for Korean modern artists under Japanese colonization (1910-1945) by focusing on Korean artist Un-Soung Pai’s work and life. I will mainly focus on his art studies in Europe and his relationship with Japanese culture and celebrities from various circles during that period. Un-Soung Pai …
A Democratic Solution for Japan’s Fading Political Public Space: Constitutional Inquiry into Article 1
With the upper house election scheduled for July 2016, the topic of constitutional amendments is gaining growing attention in Japan. While Article 9 of Japan’s post-World War II Constitution, which defines the country’s position in terms of war and military, continues to be the centre of public controversy, the nation’s debates on Article 1 – …
Action Heroes and Representations of Masculinity
This presentation contextualizes cultural construction of hegemonic masculinity and discusses ways in which action film heroes in Muay Thai and historical films are represented. Traditionally, the quality of nakleng is desirable for Thai action heroes along with having mastery in a particular skill. In a moral realm, the idea of gratitude or kwarm-katanyu, in Thai, …
A Study on Technology Acceptance Model with the Service of the E-Gate: A Case of Mini Three Links in Kinmen
This study analyzes the 300 surveys in 2012 from Kinmen E-Gate customs clearnece system based on Technology Acceptance Model (Davis 1989) to provide suggestions on ways to promote using E-Gate system. Kinmen is an island between Taiwan and mainland China, and it is a frequently used transit hub between the two because direct commute was …
The Study of Culture Marketing Strategy on Winery Tourism: The Case of Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Incorporation
Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor (KKL) Incorporation is a state-owned enterprise managed by Kinmen County Government which produces and sells Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor. The cultural marketing strategy of Winery Tourism has become an important and mature strategy for local culture developments. Winery Tourism can demonstrate the distinctive local culture which comprises humanities, history, and local unique features. …
The Influence of Social Capital and Knowledge Sharing on Organizational Innovation: The Chinese Case
This study proposes that social capital can manifest itself in the form of guanxi, trust, and norms. The concept of interpersonal relationships is discussed within the context of Chinese culture, embedding the guanxi concept into a conceptual model to further explore relationships among the three dimensions. A survey-based methodology is applied to collect data from …
The Influences of the Culture Upon the Development of Interior Design: A Case Study of the Housing Refurbishment Industry in Kinmen
Kinmen is impacted by Min-Nan culture, as it can be perceived that traditional Min-Nan clans treat their hometowns as important as their ancestors, and needless to say, the clan activities and ancestors worshipping ceremonies are quite essential in Min-Nan culture as well. This research uses case study method to investigate the influences of Min-Nan Culture …
Narratives of the Romantic Relationship between Teacher and Student in Thai Contemporary Media: Turning Point of Thinking about Relationship?
The romantic relationship between teacher and student is prohibited by Thai social context and culture; however, there are plenty of Thai narratives presented the idea of this relationship in Thai contemporary media, series on TV and films, since 2006. This article aimed to study six narratives of romantic relationship between teacher and student during 2006-2015; …
Tourists Explore the Cultural and Creative Products for Purchase Intention: A Case Study in Kinmen Images
Cultural creative industries are considered a crucial indicator of a country’s soft power. Amidst the wave of globalization, cultural and creative products of a region, which are rich in cultural content and characterized by local images of that region, have attracted the attention of tourists and became a memento of their travel experiences. Under this …
Discourse on Disciplining Indonesian Women’s Bodies in a Dove Advertisement
In modern society, all human beings are performers. Our identities could be formed to imitate the personality types that are circulating around us, or we could create our own unique personality styles, which are different and in fact has never been attached to another person. Advances in information technology affect the way people define their …
How the Conceptualization of Refugees Impacts Their Capacity to Fulfill Their Social and Economic Agency
By the end of 2014, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had identified 14.4 million refugees globally (UNHCR Global Trends 2014). The growth of the refugee population is an increasing concern that affects origin countries, host countries, aid organizations, and, most importantly, refugees themselves. The tendency of governments, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), aid agencies, …
Examining the Mechanisms Linking Commitment-Based Human Resource Practices, and Employee Job Performance: The Roles of Organizational Socialization
The aim of this study is to test whether commitment-based human resource (HR) practices influences employees’ job involvement via the mediating mechanism of organizational socialization. A survey-based methodology will be used to collect data from service firms within Taiwan, and hierarchical linear modeling analysis will be applied to examine the hypotheses model. This study will …
Reversed Realities: National Pride and Visual Coding
What is national cultural identity? How does such identity affect other plausible kinds of identities i.e., gender? Is there authentic Thai identity? These questions are what interest me and are part of my thesis entitled “Transcultural Identity of Thai Femininity (1960s-present)”. By using critical theory perspective, I set out to examine Siam/Thailand diachronically from the …
Beat of Asia: Analyzing East Asia’s Cultural Hierarchy and the Negotiation of Hallyu Stars’ Identity and Songs
The study examines the nascent paradigm shift in transnational pop culture production in East Asia as Korean pop music is becoming the next epicentre for pop culture in Asia – a status long enjoyed by Japan. The popularity of K-Pop in Japan is said to be a major development since it is an example of …
A Few Good Men: Identity and Representation of Museum Volunteers
Most people usually value benefaction of donating to the temple, only a few appreciate to do in the museum. Being museum volunteer is another kind of donation. This article aims to answer two questions: 1) How museum volunteers define and valuate the goodness? 2) How museum volunteers present the goodness through museum activity? The research …
Human Traffic: Shamanism and the Marginalization of Trash Hunters in the Korean Cultural Community
In Seoul one will invariably find elderly people pulling large carts loaded with cardboard, glass and other recyclable materials. These cultural and economic exiles are largely ignored both by the populace and the academic community. The absence of these trash hunters[collectors] in the intellectual consciousness of Korea is very conspicuous against the wide theoretical interest …
The Parallel Society in Thailand (2001-2014)
The article on the parallel society in Thailand during 2001-2014 is developed from the field research by the authors when the contestation between two rival protest movements still existed. The research focused on the hostility between two major political factions; the conservative middle class based yellow shirts and the rural mass based red shirts. The …
Visual Framing in Ichikawa’s 1964 Tokyo Olympiad
Depicting a mega-event such as an Olympic Games is generally centered around heroic victories played out in spectacular stadiums. Such films usually combine elements of Nichols’ (2010) poetic and expository modes. But beyond the use of Nichols’ taxonomy, the issue of framing is also paramount in deconstructing an Olympic documentary. At the heart of the …
Otaku Pedestrians in Tokyo: Fan Consumption and Urban Politics of “Visuality”
Otaku culture is mostly studied as a part of consumption culture and information society since the early 2000’s. The question of the cultural meaning of the everyday life of otaku fandom is however neglected, buried under the textual analysis of anime series or the impact of ‘Cool Japan’ as an international economic success. Otaku culture …
Framing the Pre-Olympic News Coverage of Tokyo 2020: A Comparative Analysis of Tokyo’s Successful Bid and the Olympic Stadium Design
The Olympics as a global spectacle usually generates a significant amount of international news coverage for the host country. The power of the media to shape public opinion or the ‘complementary role of macro-communications and interpersonal micro-communications through media’ as Jacques Ellul describes it, suggests that the messages and symbols which are now emerging from …
Hidden Biases of Cultural Schema
Communicating efficiently involves having an assumed set of knowledge underpinned by a learned system of cultural values, or what can be called cultural schemata. The American cultural self, for instance, is underpinned with the schemata of existentialism, individualism and competition. Schemata creates hidden biases in the way we behave, make decisions and judgements. Most often, …
Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Nation Branding Creates an Opportunity for a New Cultural Narrative for Japan
What is the role of the 2020 Olympics in shaping the narrative for Japan’s cultural and national identity? A cultural approach to nation branding targets a range of possible identities for Japan, shaping a narrative for the benefit of external and internal audiences (Kaneva, 2011). Building on the concept of nation branding being developed through …
Rites of Passage in Japanese Traditional Culture
The paper examines the rites of passage in Japanese traditional culture from the perspective of semiotic method, a study of signs, symbols and significations. Sign systems of traditional customs and rituals ensure transmission of cultural values and information between and within generations. Based on the analyses of concrete elements and symbolic content of life-cycle rituals …
An Unsuccessful Story of Futaba Nursery School, A Pioneer Educational Institution for the Poor in Japan
Futaba Nursery School has long been regarded in Japan as one of the pioneer educational institutions that upheld children’s rights and the protection of motherhood, but its history cannot simply be read as a tale of the heroic female founders. Scholars describe Futaba Nursery School, established in 1900 for children in Tokyo’s slums, as a pioneer …
Mediating Zone in Colonial Propaganda: Medical Support Activities in Japanese Film Projection Unit in Manchukuo (1932-1945)
This research examines the medical support activities in film propaganda system in the former Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. The focus is on Junkaieisha, that is the mobile film projection unit active in rural areas. This research reveals how a colonially national film propaganda project was aimed at the ordinary people in rural area which …
Constructing the Hong Kong Nation: Cultural Nationalism and Civic Nationalism
The handover of sovereignty to China has not made Hongkongers the true master of their city, as promised by Beijing. Rather, the recent years have witnessed an increasing influence of the Chinese government in Hong Kong affairs, the shrink of freedom and the violations of values embraced by Hong Kong people. Resultantly, on top of …
Immigration, Identity and Mobility in Europe: Inclusive Cultural Policies and Exclusion Effects
The European cultural policy programs, such as ECC (European Capitals of Culture), seek to develop new forms of civic cohesion through inclusive and participative cultural events. The cultural assets of a city elected “ECC” are mobilized to attract a wide range of new audiences, including populations poorly integrated into local cultural life – and consequently …
Practicing Lore Within a Modern Society: Visiting the Mitigation Effort of the People of Mt. Kelud
As one of the active volcanoes classified in the ‘Ring of Fire’ in Indonesia, Mt. Kelud is inseparable from the danger of eruption. From the outsider’s view point, the devastating impact of the eruption upon the people living around the slope of the mountain seems as life-threatening. Kelud inhabitants, however, regard this repercussion in different …
Shibata G: Filmmaker of a Hybrid Japan
Shibata Go� is a Japanese contemporary independent filmmaker. He made only a few movies and yet unfairly unknown. Until recently, attention was paid only to his second long-movie, Late Bloomer (Osoi Hito) in 2003 from some independent reviews like ‘The Midnight Eye’ However, his first film, NN891102 (1999), which is also the work from his …
Intercultural Parenting: A Discussion of Power Relations and Reverse Acculturation
The study employed a qualitative and social constructionist approach to examine cultural differences in intercultural parenting and how intercultural parents negotiated their differences. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with twenty eight intercultural couples/parents. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data and understand the meanings of participants’ experiences. The findings revealed that while intercultural couples experienced …
Landslide Warning by using Rainfall Monitoring in the Mountainous Areas of Thailand
Landslides are a disaster event caused by heavy rainfall in mountainous areas and it occurs in many countries including Thailand, especially in northern and southern regions. This problem is still arising and likely to escalate in the future. Long-time torrential rainfall is often the cause of landslide. Generally, landslide warning is done by checking rainfall …
The Feminine Nation: A Postcolonial Analysis of the Iconographies of Marianne and Maria Clara in the French and Philippine Online Press
The feminine nation : a postcolonial feminist analysis of the iconographies of Marianne and Maria Clara in the French and Philippine online press. Using articles from online portals of French national dailies Le Figaro, Le Monde and Le Parisien and Philippine national dailies Philippine Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer and Manila Bulletin, this comparative study aims to …
Measure of Labour Law in Thailand for Supporting to AEC
The research is aimed at studying ASEAN Charter and Thailand’s labor commitment; studying and reviewing Thailand’s current labor laws; and studying and seeking appropriate approaches for labor law improvement and amendment in accordance with ASEAN Economic Community. The research applied qualitative research methodology by analyzing legal contents, legislation and relevant legal research. Research findings were …
Chinese Indonesians at the Crossroads: Post-Suharto Identity Dilemma in the Rise of China in the New Media Age
China’s rise to global prominence mostly represented in the new media has provoked the prevalence of re-sinification, as well as de-sinification, among Diasporic Chinese throughout the world, including the new generations of Chinese Indonesians. It is most commonly shared that nowadays Chinese Indonesians are expected to help bridging the gap between Indonesia and Mainland China …
Migration Without Mobility
The Mobility Turn promised a paradigm shift. Inspired by the work of Deleuze and Guattari, fundamental concepts such as culture, identity and place were to be re-figured by mobile metaphors, such as network, home and flow. However, conceptual ambitions have been stymied. Ironically, this has been especially evident in fields concerned intrinsically with mobility. Notably, …
Impact of Cultural Intermediates Importing Foreign Popular Culture to Hong Kong
There were lots of media and agents involved in the Japanese ‘Hari’ culture in Hong Kong during the 80’s. Those media channels included print medias such as music magazines, movies, comic books, music concerts, live performance and music production. The agents, especially the owner and the workers of the ‘media’ often served as a mediator, …
The Study of the Readiness for Entering the ASEAN Community of Undergraduate Students
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is established to create a mutual understanding for political and economic purposes among 10 countries, all of which include Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. This brings all the nations not only to maintain peace, political stability, and economic prosperity, but also …
Intercultural Communication Model of Tolaki Tribe in Multicultures Government Structure in South Konawe District, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia
This paper will examine the general and the background about intercultural communication model between native inhabitants of Tolaki tribe and immigrants in an order of cross cultures government. The research’s goal is to examine and to show how tolerance interwoven among those different sides and honour towards customs could evoke better understanding among all parties …
The Advent of the First Indoor Stage in Korean Theatre: Impacts, Consequences and Implications
It is widely agreed that the modern Korean theatre began with the opening of the Hyeopyulsa, the first western-style theatre building, in December 1902. The reason for calling this theatre ‘modern’ is multifold, but the primary stress should be put on the fact that it introduced indoor stage, which was the first case in the …
“The Theatre Research Project “Hua Jai Thong”: The Play Which Reflects an Idea of Educational Values in Thailand “
Hua Jai Thong’ is the play written by Professor Pin Malakul in 1968 to reflect the problems of the Thai education system. The purpose of this theatre research project is to explore the educational issues in the play in comparison to the educational situation at the present time. The methods employed in this study were …
Negotiating Power in Culturally Determined Bioethics Secular vs Islamic Bioethics in Decision Making
The supposition of this paper is that bioethics in its different strata is culturally determined. Other than universal in the sense of ‘neutral’, secular bioethics-which is internationally leading the field of bioethics academically and in praxis is an expression of a particular, materialistic worldview that does generally not consider spiritual or other-worldly dimensions. Islamic culture, …
Exploration of New Understanding of ‘Culture’.
Culture is a term which has various definitions with many contradictions. A general apprehension about the culture limits it to a broad or narrow sense of homogeneity and in the need of certain exclusion. The present understanding of culture is inevitably responsible for conflict between two cultures. The solicitation to particular belief or value system …
Adaptation of International Students: A Case Study of Ubon Ratchathani University
This presentation discusses the findings from the case study on the adaptation of international students enrolling in degree programs at Ubon Ratchathani University (UBU), Thailand. The purpose of this research is to explore their problems and adaptation to new learning environment. The participants of this qualitative study are international students in ASEAN countries including Laos, …
Design and Development of Mobile App for Language Learning
Mobile devices have become a significant part of everyday life. The potential of mobile learning is accepted and highly popular, including among language educators to enhance language learning and literacy for students. This paper presented the educational app prototype design and development that could be used as CAI and CAL for an informal learning as …
Is a Paternal Nephew’s Right to Inherit His Uncle’s Estate Indisputable: The Enlightening Case of Tsang Yuet Mui
The British Law has been enforced in Hong Kong since 1842, but the cases involving Chinese traditional practices were still judged on the basis of traditional laws of China, i.e. the Qing Code and related customs. As for the succession to estate, the Chinese society of Hong Kong followed the traditional convention of succession in …
A Cultural Reflection: The Auspicious Sign in Miscellaneous Notes of the Tang Dynasty (618-907)
The belief in auspicious sign from the scientific point of view may probably be regarded as a kind of superstition, but for many of the people in their nations, it has become a part of their folk culture. Such a belief comes basically from the seeking and fondness of auspiciousness which should be ordinary and …
Standard Chinese Characters and Their Role in Cultural Heritage
Hanzi is a system of ideograms that encodes the Chinese language built on the integrated representation of form, sound and meaning of matters and deeds. Over several thousand years, it has been playing an important role for cultural heritage in establishing a record of the language, history and life of the Chinese people. Only until …
Existence of the Tradition of Moon Festival in Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province
This article aims to investigate the existence of the tradition of Moon Festival in Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province. The data of this qualitative study were gathered from related documents, research reports, and in-depth interviews with Thai Chinese in Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province. The study found that the tradition of Moon Festival could still …
The Birth of Contemporary Culture: The Unwanted Child?
The paper proposes to investigate two threads that eventually intersect. On the one hand it aims to look at the evolution of contemporary global (consumer) culture, more specifically the culture of neoliberalism. On the other hand, it looks at some of the critical reflections that pondered upon these phenomena at the time they came into …
Challenges of a Transitional Democracy in a Post-Election Myanmar: Cooperation or Conflict?
After winning overwhelmingly in Myanmar’s recent elections, the National League for Democracy (NLD) finally assumes power in April 2016. They will also form the bulk of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (or the Assembly of the Union) and helming many of the ministries and cabinet seats. However, under the Constitution, the military continues to dominate 25% of …
A Proposal for Information Dissemination of Regional Culture for the Purpose of Multicultural Coexistence: Based on Japanese Local Government Plans
Japan has witnessed a considerable increase in the population of residents with multicultural backgrounds (MCR), especially around urban areas. A majority of these MCR have nationalities of other Asian countries, many of whom, although an integral part of the Japanese labor force, do not speak the Japanese language. The aim of this study is to propose …
Information Sharing Between the Civil Administration and Citizens: An Implementation Proposal of Open Data Strategy in Japanese Local Governments
Administrative services in Japan have become diversified as a result of economic growth. However, as this growth has slowed down in recent years, there is now a need to review such conventional administrative service. Hence, in light of such a social climate, the Japanese government has been advocating an open data strategy (ODS) for administrative …
Construction of Lukang’ s Cultural Memory (Das Kulturelle Gedchtnis) and Spirit of Place (Genius Loci) in the Qing Dynasty: A Study Based on Shih Shu-Ching’s Walking Through Lo-chin and Lin Hui-Cheng’s The Street and Town Structure of Lukang in the Late Qing Period
In 1976, Shih Shu-Ching published liuliWa (Glazed Tiles), which captured public attention to the importance of cultural heritage preservation. The well-known scholar and architect, Han Pao-Teh, even attempted to an open dialogue with Shih’s work with his ‘Glazed Tiles and Soil Tiles: Discussing Local Art Preservation via Shih Shi-Ching’s Glazed Tiles.’ In 1977, Han launched …
Politeness Strategies Among Japanese College Students: Discussion of the Acquisition of Honorifics and Onomatopoeias
In general, learning the proper use of parts of speech peculiar to the Japanese language, such as honorifics and onomatopoeias, often becomes a problem in Japanese language education. Honorifics are considered to be difficult by many Japanese and are used incorrectly on many occasions. Also, onomatopoeias are frequently used in various cartoon and comic books, …
Applying Wearable Technology to Facilitate the Transmission of Tacit Knowledge for Practice-Based Learning
The 10,000-Hour Rule, the key to success in any field, is simply a matter of practicing a specific task for more than 10 thousand hours (Gladwell, 2008). The ability to speak a language or knead dough requires to a lot of hours practice to accumulate tacit knowledge. Whether the wearable technology can facilitate the transmission …
Breaking the Fourth Wall in K-Pop: Voyeurism and Talking About Reverse Panopticons
Objectification is common in the media and entertainment industry; if you’�re in the limelight, there is no way to escape objectification, irrelevant of gender. While prevalent in both Western and Eastern entertainment industries, this objectification borders on voyeurism when it comes to the Korean entertainment industry, mainly the music sector. Artists, particularly ‘idol’ musicians live …