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Ninhonjinron "should be read as a kind of 'mass consumer item' " and is the " 'intellectual fast food of consumer nationalism' (Watanabe)."
1. "The only valid basis from which to study Japanese society is using native informants' judgements (emic), as opposed to external or foreign analysis (etic)."
Ironic, since one of the most influential texts of nihonjinron thought was written by Ruth Benedict, who was not Japanese and had never been to Japan.
2. The Japanese people are a single, homogeneous race that has remained as such, practically since its creation.
This concept extends to the country as well.
Ignores and excludes groups such as the Ainu, Okinawans, etc.
3. "The Japanese differ radically from all other known peoples in terms of society, culture, and language."
-"Us vs. them" dichotomy
-Sets nations apart by comparing themselves against an "other."
-Japan often uses "Westerners" as a means of comparison.
4. "Japanese 'blood' is essential in order to understand Japanese society, culture, and language."
Very contextual construction of "self"
-kokugo/nihongo
-uchi/soto
-omote/ura
-gaijin
5. "Foreigners are incapable of completely understanding Japanese culture and language."
-In the modern, "shrinking" world, Japan is limiting growth by stifling internationalization and foreign language education.
-Essentially, racism and discrimination disguised as "national uniqueness."
-Foreign language educators are placed in severely disadvantaged circumstances.
-Nihonjinron
-English seen as a "tool" rather than for communication.
-AFELTs have no room for promotion, little-to-no job security, and, even while residing in Japan, are never truly accepted in society. (uchi/soto)
-Ideology of Nothingness
-More effort put into reforms.
-Closer examination of nihonjinron and replacing its outdated tenets.
Omote: Outwardly, Japan's government has made statements and issued policies that seek to advance the internationalization process within the country.
Ura: In practice, these policies are just a facade of internationalization and actually limit interaction with "Other" cultures and languages.
Kokusaika in Japanese means "internationalization," though what that means varies wildly.
Not to scale
-The more skilled a foreigner becomes in Japanese, the less he will be accepted by the Japanese
-Very influential nihonjinron text
-Irony of Benedict's text as a leading text of nihonjinron thought