Susan O R P E T T Long (original) (raw)

Papers by Susan O R P E T T Long

Anthropology & Aging, 2020

In contrast to media images of lonely deaths, stereotypes of the Japanese calm acceptance of dyin... more In contrast to media images of lonely deaths, stereotypes of the Japanese calm acceptance of dying, and the “naturalness” of dependency in old age or illness, this paper explores the complex ways in which changing perceptions of time refocus people towards the question of how to live. Time both narrows to the level of medication schedules and bodily functions, and expands to more immediate engagement with others in the past and future. The idea of a moral timeline of such changes builds upon recent work in the anthropology of morality by recognizing shifting ideas and actions people take to retain agency through suffering. People near the end of life in Japan commonly employ cultural idioms of effort, reciprocity, and gratitude to express their continual striving to be moral persons in a social world. Ultimately, such efforts determine not only how they see themselves and are seen by others through their final days, but whether theirs will be judged to be a “good death,” and thus th...

What are people's life experiences in present-day Japan? This timely volume addresses fundame... more What are people's life experiences in present-day Japan? This timely volume addresses fundamental questions vital to under- standing Japan in the first decade of the twenty-first century. Its chapters collectively reveal a questioning of middle-class ideals once considered the essence of Japaneseness. In the postwar model household a man was expected to obtain a job at a major firm that offered life-long employment; his counterpart, the professional housewife, managed the domestic sphere and the children, who were educated in a system that provided a path to mainstream success. In the past twenty years, however, Japanese society has seen a sharp increase in precarious forms of employment, higher divorce rates, and a widening gap between haves and have-nots. Contributors draw on rich, nuanced fieldwork data collected during the 2000s to examine work, schooling, family and marital relations, child rearing, entertainment, lifestyle choices, community support, consumption and waste, material culture, well-being, aging, death and memorial rites, and sexuality. The voices in these pages vary widely: They include schoolchildren, teenagers, career women, unmarried women, young mothers, people with disabilities, small business owners, organic farmers, retirees, and the elderly.

Sitzungsberichte Osterreichische Akademie Der Wissenschaften Philosophisch Historische Klasse, 1997

L'A. etudie le role des parents accompagnant les personnes âgees dans la societe rurale japon... more L'A. etudie le role des parents accompagnant les personnes âgees dans la societe rurale japonaise contemporaine. Le stress et les conflits dans les soins portes aux personnes âgees fortement diminuees physiquement et dependantes socialement s'expriment dans les plaintes des accompagnateurs enquetes par l'A.. L'etude vise a mieux comprendre les experiences quotidiennes aupres des familles ainsi que dans les maisons de sante et de retraite de la prefecture de Shiga. La prolongation a venir de l'esperance de vie necessiterait une veritable politique de soutien de la part du gouvernement et des institutions.

Journal of Japanese Studies, 2003

... The interpersonal and behavioral aspects of decisions about dying are discussed in Susan Long... more ... The interpersonal and behavioral aspects of decisions about dying are discussed in Susan Long, &amp;quot;Living Poorly or Dying Well: Decisions about Life Support and Treatment Termination for American and Japanese Patients,&amp;quot; Journal of Clinical Ethics, Vol. 11, No. 3 (2000), pp. ...

A Companion to the Anthropology of Japan, 2005

In recent years, philosophers and social scientists have concerned themselves with the question o... more In recent years, philosophers and social scientists have concerned themselves with the question of how moral consensus comes about. If we believe in a Truth that can be discovered, then clearly upon discovery, rational humans should easily accept it and moral consensus could be readily achieved. Social change in moral consensus would be an evolutionary process based on subsequent discoveries and shifts in thinking. However social constructionists and feminists have challenged such a view, claiming that there is no single Truth to be discovered, only truths to be created; that morality comes not from a process of logical thinking, but rather from participation from particular vantage points in a social system characterized by inequalities. (For a statement of the social construction of reality perspective, see Berger & Luckmann, 1967; for a discussion of a variety of feminist approaches to ethics, see Tong, 1993). In such a view, change in moral consensus is a vastly more complex social process involving the development of collective conclusions about phenomena experienced individually. How does this happen? In this article I will explore a particular change-in-process, that of cultural consensus about cancer disclosure in Japan. We will look at the breakdown of previous consensus in light of changing medical technology and lifestyles, and then at the process of building a new consensus, both intentionally by advocates of disclosure, and unintentionally through individual attempts to solve personal and family dilemmas. Although individually experienced, these occur in a context of unequal power relations within Japanese society and historically between Japan and "the West." The foreign fieldworker, I discovered in my research, cannot remain a neutral observer in this process of social change. In her book, Moral Passages, Kathryn Addelson differentiates two types of moral passages, a distinction I find analytically useful in thinking about how

Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics - THEOR MED BIOETH, 2002

Empirical studies in bioethics, as well asclinical experience, demonstrate the existenceof inter-... more Empirical studies in bioethics, as well asclinical experience, demonstrate the existenceof inter- and intra-cultural diversity invalues and perspectives on end-of-life issues. This paper argues that while survey researchcan describe such diversity, explaining itrequires ethnographic methodology that allowsordinary people to frame the discussion intheir own terms. This study of attitudestoward euthanasia in Japan found that peopleface conflicts between deeply held values suchas life versus pain, self versus other, andburden versus self-reliance that make itdifficult to rely on a ``rational person''approach to decision-making. An inductiveethnographic approach grounded in people's lifeexperiences can indicate the reasons forvariation in responses to surveys, and canclarify the nature of ethical conflict in aparticular cultural setting.

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 1980

This paper analyzes doctor-patient relations in Japan from an interactionist perspective, based o... more This paper analyzes doctor-patient relations in Japan from an interactionist perspective, based on interviews of medical personnel and patients and on participant-observation in a number of medical institutions. After describing Japanese categories of social relationships, the author shows how, by utlizing symbolic behavior, both doctors and patients attempt to manipulate the relationship to provide a desired degree of mutual reliance.

Social Science Japan Journal, 2009

Social Science & Medicine, 1982

Social Science & Medicine, 1986

This paper explores the relationship between gender and work roles in Japan by comparing women ph... more This paper explores the relationship between gender and work roles in Japan by comparing women physicians and nurses. After reviewing women's roles and definitions of femininity in Japan, contrasts are described in socioeconomic background, educational levels, career patterns and patient perceptions. Despite these contrasts, neither women physicians nor nurses are likely to reject the sociocultural expectations of Japanese women and most define their role as housewife/mother as their first priority. This preserves male dominance of the biomedical system by reinforcing both the subordinate status of nursing as a profession and the woman physician's lack of power in the medical system.

Mortality, 2014

Abstract Contemporary societies offer an increasing range of options for mortuary ritual and for ... more Abstract Contemporary societies offer an increasing range of options for mortuary ritual and for dealing with the deceased person’s body. This study explores how a sample of couples coming from differing religious upbringings navigates these choices to reach compatible understandings of death ritual that is appropriate for them. Although some respondents found meaning in established practices of their or their spouse’s religious backgrounds, more commonly they found compatible understandings in the ‘celebration of life’ approach to death. This response can be understood in the relationship between increased interfaith marriage and societal pluralism and in the symbolic ambiguity of ‘celebrating’, which can accomplish Hertz’s goals of mortuary ritual in the context of postmodern project of self-construction.

Journal of Studies in International Education, 2010

American students are increasingly incorporating study in a foreign country into their college ed... more American students are increasingly incorporating study in a foreign country into their college educations, but many participate in short-term programs that limit their engagement with any more than the superficial aspects of the host culture. This article describes a short-term study abroad course for American students to Japan in which the authors drew on an “emic” host country model of group travel in an effort to combine high academic standards, personal growth, and deepened engagement with Japanese culture. The authors first consider the history of study tours in U.S. study abroad and then look at an alternative model provided by Japanese school trips. The authors explain the process by which their American students read, research, and work in groups to plan the itinerary for their study tour. The final section reports on their preliminary evaluations of the program and their plans for future excursions sponsored by the East Asian Studies program.

The Journal of Japanese Studies, 2004

3. Paul White, “The Japanese in Latin America: On the Uses of Diaspora,” International Journal of... more 3. Paul White, “The Japanese in Latin America: On the Uses of Diaspora,” International Journal of Population Geography, Vol. 9 (2003), pp. 309–22. The chapter by Linger puts into radical question the very existence of a Japanese Brazilian identity. Based on the cases of two Japanese Brazilian males, the chapter seeks to undo analytic categories by a celebration of diversity. It is a pity that in the process, it gives no information on their origins in Brazil, nor (given the difference in age) allows for the effect of generational perspective on ethnicity. This latter at least deserves mention, since it is well known that it makes a difference: usually, for instance, it is the third generation who wants to go back to the ethnic roots, but Linger does not analyze this factor. Paradoxically, what seems to emerge from the interview transcripts is the somewhat resigned acceptance of category, summed up in the realistic observation that “in two or three hundred years maybe you will have a Brazilian race. If this happens the Brazilian Nikkei will disappear” (p. 206). Despite Linger’s problematic, on the evidence of his interviewees, the hyphenated identity will likely prevail for some time to come. Similarly, his otherwise interesting remarks on diaspora as ideology (p. 210) would benefit from a reading of Paul White’s work on this subject.3 The chapters in this collection are thus of variable quality and originality and the organization of the book would undoubtedly benefit had they been linked by a more consistent theme. To this end, the editor might have provided a concluding chapter tying together the ideas scattered throughout the book.

Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 1993

This exploratory study examines home caregiving of elderly family members in rural central Japan.... more This exploratory study examines home caregiving of elderly family members in rural central Japan. The extent of the daughter-in-law's involvement with severely cognitively and physically impaired relatives is discussed within the context of traditional co-residence patterns. Findings from a preliminary survey, interviews and observations indicate limited modification of the physical environment, high levels of burden, and utilization of the limited respite services available. Despite expectations that daughters-in-law will care for the elderly, voices for change are growing louder.

The Journal of Asian Studies, 2001

Journal of Aging Studies, 1999

In the United States and Japan, social and demographic changes are placing pressure on men to bec... more In the United States and Japan, social and demographic changes are placing pressure on men to become involved in elder care. In Japan, 15 percent of caregivers to the elderly are men compared with 28 percent in the United States. This qualitative study uses in-depth interviews with 15 Japanese and 30 American men to compare their daily caregiving experiences and examine the impact of culture on their roles. We identify common elements as well as differences in husbands' and sons' motivations to take on this role, the tasks they perform, the impact on their lives, and societal responses. Culture is a factor in the social shaping of the caregiving experience through different societal expectations about the roles, coupled with different family structure, different caregiving ideals, different views on dependency, and different views on self-expression and on the need to maintain harmonious relationships.