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Papers by Marta Fanasca
University of Manchester, 2019
Mechademia, 2020
The boys love (BL) genre was first introduced to Italy by the 1990s. The BL scene in Italy has gr... more The boys love (BL) genre was first introduced to Italy by the 1990s. The BL scene in Italy has greatly changed since then: to begin with, words such as “shōnen’ai” and “yaoi” do not sound alien anymore, especially among younger fans. Recently, some yuri titles such as Citrus and Yagate kimi ni naru (released in Italy with the English title Bloom into You) have also been positively received, a clear sign of the shift in mentality of both publishers and fans. To get a sense of this scene today, including original works, I interviewed five individuals in the Italian manga publishing industry to attempt a description of the current BL and yuri market and how these genres influence Italian comic artists. The impressions of these professionalsl shed light on some of the dynamics at work in the Italian queer media sphere.
Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture
This article focuses on the representation of FtM cross-dresser characters in Japanese shōjo mang... more This article focuses on the representation of FtM cross-dresser characters in Japanese shōjo manga and their gender performances. The first cross-dresser heroine in manga is Sapphire, the main character from 1953s Ribon no kishi. Following this first example, similar characters have continued to appear in shōjo manga, obtaining very positive responses from the audience. While they are seen as rebellious characters challenging stereotypical views on gender in the Japanese society, the narratives where they appear do not always fully explore this aspect. The aim of this article is to investigate the role of cross-dresser heroines in manga as a tool to reinforce the sociocultural patriarchal status quo and as a different gender embodiment outside stereotyped femininity. It argues that the possibility for those characters to occupy powerful positions and succeed is related to masculinity, symbolized by the sword, stressing how ultimately their revolutionary potential is weakened and lim...
Asian Anthropology
Abstract Ethnography is a methodology that requires both intellectual and physical efforts and is... more Abstract Ethnography is a methodology that requires both intellectual and physical efforts and is carried out through the body. The body is also the site where affect is experienced, which in Massumi’s view is “an ability to affect and a susceptibility to be affected” of a body in constant transition. This article explores my ethnographic fieldwork on FtM crossdresser (dansō) escorts in Japan, taking into account the role played by the body, affects, and emotions, also analyzing their relationship with materiality and the surrounding environment. My body became the means of interaction with crossdressers and customers, and its masculinization affected and was affected by objects and the surrounding spaces. It was also the site where I experienced affective intensities descriptive of the experience of crossdressers and date clients. I first focus on the body and its physical and emotional reactions to investigate the practice of crossdressing, identifying the role played by objects in enhancing masculinity. I highlight crossdressers’ and customers’ management of spaces and human interactions as or towards displaced bodies. To conclude, I investigate the body as a way to interact with spaces and individuals from the standpoint of “affective correspondence”.
Yuri manga are focused on the representation of sentimental relations between girls. Despite stil... more Yuri manga are focused on the representation of sentimental relations between girls. Despite still being a niche within the manga landscape, the popularity of this genre in terms of number of productions and fans is increasing, and in the last few years its fame has been expanding outside Japan as well. As a manga genre, yuri developed since the mid-2000s. Notwithstanding being a novel genre, yuri narratives are deeply embedded into the heritage of the late Meiji-early Shōwa shōjo bunka (girls’ culture), and especially into the so-called «esu kankei» relationships, girl/girl bonds developing in girls’ schools at the time. The aim of this article is double-folded: from one hand, I will highlight and discuss the birth of yuri manga, analysing the re-elaboration of the heritage of shōjo bunka and its cultural productions – such as Yoshiya Nobuko’s Hana Monogatari – into the first examples of yuri manga, to demonstrate the intermediality and intertextuality of these media. On the other ...
East Asian Journal of Popular Culture
Isayama Hajime’s Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan 2009–present, hereafter SnK) has gained huge... more Isayama Hajime’s Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan 2009–present, hereafter SnK) has gained huge resonance since its first release, a popularity by no means limited to Japan, and enhanced by the high-quality animation series by the same name (2013–present), directed by Araki Tetsurô (first season) and Koizuka Masashi, which has followed from the manga storyline. Without doubt, this success is due to a gripping narrative, focusing on fierce fights between the apparently invincible titans and the numerous characters that aim to save humanity, whose different aesthetic and behavioural characteristics unfailingly appeal to very mixed audiences. In this sense, there are three very notable features of SnK. First, the female characters subvert, redraw or re-interpret stereotypes about femininity both aesthetically and behaviourally, and they can be read as queer. Second, the text presents a lesbian subtext that enriches the narrative in queer terms. Ultimately, the ability of some main ch...
East Asian Journal of Popular Culture, 2021
Isayama Hajime's Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan 2009-present, hereafter SnK) has gained huge... more Isayama Hajime's Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan 2009-present, hereafter SnK) has gained huge resonance since its first release, a popularity by no means limited to Japan, and enhanced by the high-quality animation series by the same name (2013-present), directed by Araki Tetsurô (first season) and Koizuka Masashi, which has followed from the manga storyline. Without doubt, this success is due to a gripping narrative, focusing on fierce fights between the apparently invincible titans and the numerous characters that aim to save humanity, whose different aesthetic and behavioural characteristics unfailingly appeal to very mixed audiences. In this sense, there are three very notable features of SnK. First, the female characters subvert, redraw or re-interpret stereotypes about femininity both aesthetically and behaviourally, and they can be read as queer. Second, the text presents a lesbian subtext that enriches the narrative in queer terms. Ultimately, the ability of some main characters to shift between the two categories of 'human' and 'titan' contributes to destabilizing binary divisions in terms of normative or non-normative bodies, providing an additional layer to a queer reading of this text. Through an analysis of the manga and anime versions of SnK, this article investigates how gender stereotypes, heteronormativity and the dichotomy normalizing normative identities vis-à-vis non-normative identities are portrayed. This analysis sheds light on the (lack of) alternatives to binary models KEYWORDS manga queer gender femininity titan abject counter-hegemonic
Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture, 2021
This article focuses on the representation of FtM cross-dresser characters in Japanese shōjo mang... more This article focuses on the representation of FtM cross-dresser characters in Japanese shōjo manga and their gender performances. The first cross-dresser heroine in manga is Sapphire, the main character from 1953s Ribon no kishi. Following this first example, similar characters have continued to appear in shōjo manga, obtaining very positive responses from the audience. While they are seen as rebellious characters challenging stereotypical views on gender in the Japanese society, the narratives where they appear do not always fully explore this aspect. The aim of this article is to investigate the role of cross-dresser heroines in manga as a tool to reinforce the sociocultural patriarchal status quo and as a different gender embodiment outside stereotyped femininity. It argues that the possibility for those characters to occupy powerful positions and succeed is related to masculinity, symbolized by the sword, stressing how ultimately their revolutionary potential is weakened and limited.
Emoticons, Kaomoji, and Emoji
Girlhood Studies
In this article, I focus on the childhood and adolescent life experiences of dansō (female-to-mal... more In this article, I focus on the childhood and adolescent life experiences of dansō (female-to-male crossdressers) who work as escorts in contemporary Japan, and on the process that led to their presentation of self as gendered masculine in their private and working lives. During their childhood and adolescence, dansō have to negotiate their identity and self-presentation to adhere to the gendered pressures of Japanese society. Through an analysis of interviews undertaken with 14 dansō informants, I explore dansō’s construction of a male identity before adulthood, highlighting the societal impositions they experienced and the coping strategies to which they resorted in order to create and maintain a space in which to express their queer selves.
Girlhood Studies
In this article, I focus on the childhood and adolescent life experiences of dansō (female-to-mal... more In this article, I focus on the childhood and adolescent life experiences of dansō (female-to-male crossdressers) who work as escorts in contemporary Japan, and on the process that led to their presentation of self as gendered masculine in their private and working lives. During their childhood and adolescence, dansō have to negotiate their identity and self-presentation to adhere to the gendered pressures of Japanese society. Through an analysis of interviews undertaken with 14 dansō informants, I explore dansō’s construction of a male identity before adulthood, highlighting the societal impositions they experienced and the coping strategies to which they resorted in order to create and maintain a space in which to express their queer selves.
Tracing Pathways 雲路 Interdisciplinary Studies on Modern and Contemporary East Asia, Firenze University Press, 2021
Yuri manga are focused on the representation of sentimental relations between girls. Despite stil... more Yuri manga are focused on the representation of sentimental relations between girls. Despite still being a niche within the manga landscape, the popularity of this genre in terms of number of productions and fans is increasing, and in the last few years its fame has been expanding outside Japan as well. As a manga genre, yuri developed since the mid-2000s. Notwithstanding being a novel genre, yuri narratives are deeply embedded into the heritage of the late Meiji-early Shōwa shōjo bunka (girls' culture), and especially into the so-called «esu kankei» relationships, girl/girl bonds developing in girls' schools at the time. The aim of this article is double-folded: from one hand, I will highlight and discuss the birth of yuri manga, analysing the re-elaboration of the heritage of shōjo bunka and its cultural productions-such as Yoshiya Nobuko's Hana Monogatari-into the first examples of yuri manga, to demonstrate the intermediality and intertextuality of these media. On the other hand, I will map the development of yuri manga through the 2000s, stressing onto the increasing relevance given by these narratives to LGBTQ+ related themes, along with the detachment from the influence of shōjo bunka.
Mishima Monogatari - Un samurai delle arti, 2020
Mishima Yukio è senza dubbio tra i nomi della letteratura giapponese più noti al pubblico occiden... more Mishima Yukio è senza dubbio tra i nomi della letteratura giapponese più noti al pubblico occidentale, ma anche uno tra i più controversi. Personaggio e scrittore affascinante e sfaccettato, è considerato da alcuni come l’icona del “vero Giappone”, quello nascosto sotto la patina della modernità, mentre per altri rappresenta l’ultimo anelito di una mentalità anacronistica e destrorsa. Capire quello che Mishima è stato e ciò che ancora rappresenta per il Giappone e per la letteratura è un compito difficile se non addirittura impossibile. Quello che a una critica contemporanea risulta più accessibile è invece l’analisi della ricezione del suo lavoro, specialmente al di fuori del Giappone.
In tal senso, vorrei analizzare come l’opera teatrale di Mishima Madame de Sade sia stata recepita dalla critica inglese, approfondendo le ragioni dietro un giudizio marcatamente negativo per un’opera ritenuta in patria e in altri Paesi europei un grandissimo successo.
Mechademia Second Arc, 2020
The boys love (BL) genre was first introduced to Italy by the 1990s. The BL scene in Italy has gr... more The boys love (BL) genre was first introduced to Italy by the 1990s. The BL scene in Italy has greatly changed since then: to begin with, words such as “shōnen’ai” and “yaoi” do not sound alien anymore, especially among younger fans.
Recently, some yuri titles such as Citrus and Yagate kimi ni naru (released in Italy with the English title Bloom into You) have also been positively received, a clear sign of the shift in mentality of both publishers and fans.
To get a sense of this scene today, including original works, I interviewed
five individuals in the Italian manga publishing industry to attempt a description of the current BL and yuri market and how these genres influence Italian comic artists. The impressions of these professionalsl shed light on some of the dynamics at work in the Italian queer media sphere.
InGenere - Dati, Politiche, Questioni di Genere, 2020
Da angeli del focolare a occupate usa e getta, come lavorano le donne in Giappone negli anni del... more Da angeli del focolare a occupate usa e getta, come lavorano le donne in Giappone negli anni della cosiddetta abenomics.
"Per favore, fate molti figli!", è il consiglio che Yoshihide Suga, il successore di Shinzō Abe alla guida del Giappone, ha rivolto alle donne giapponesi in un discorso alla Fuji TV nel settembre 2015. Anche Tarō Asō, già premier nel 2008-2009 aveva rincarato la dose nel 2019, dichiarando che il vero problema del paese non erano gli anziani, bensì le donne senza figli. Un'affermazione che gli era valsa il riconoscimento di "commento più sessista dell'anno [7]" nel panorama politico nipponico.
The European Sociologist ISSUE 45: PANDEMIC (IM)POSSIBILITIES VOL. 1 , 2020
Feeling part of a group, in these times of pandemic isolation, is an extremely important factor i... more Feeling part of a group, in these times of pandemic isolation, is an extremely important factor in enduring and coping with everyday life – as demonstrated by the increasing number of music-on-the-balcony flashmobs, another collective Italian way to cope with the quarantine.
Since the end of February, when the first restrictive measures were introduced in some areas in the north of Italy, on my Facebook wall I stepped into tons of memes about the pandemic, the political actors involved, and the impulsive, and sometimes stupid, reactions of people to the lockdown. Although for some this could be a very disrespectful way to deal with fear and isolation (and death), I honestly feel that I disagree...
Asian Anthropology, 2019
Ethnography is a methodology that requires both intellectual and physical efforts and is carried ... more Ethnography is a methodology that requires both intellectual and physical efforts and is carried out through the body. The body is also the site where affect is experienced, which in Massumi’s view is “an ability to affect and a susceptibility to be affected” of a body in constant transition. This article explores my ethnographic fieldwork on FtM crossdresser (dansō) escorts in Japan, taking into account the role played by the body, affects, and emotions, also analyzing their relationship with materiality and the surrounding environment. My body became the means of interaction with crossdressers and customers, and its masculinization affected and was affected by objects and the surrounding spaces. It was also the site where I experienced affective intensities descriptive of the experience of crossdressers and date clients. I first focus on the body and its physical and emotional reactions to investigate the practice of crossdressing, identifying the role played by objects in enhancing masculinity. I highlight crossdressers’ and customers’ management of spaces and human interactions as or towards displaced bodies. To conclude, I investigate the body as a way to interact with spaces and individuals from the standpoint of “affective correspondence”.
Orizzonti giapponesi Ricerche, idee, prospettive, 2018
The aim of this paper is to introduce the reader to the world of female-to-male crossdresser (dan... more The aim of this paper is to introduce the reader to the world of female-to-male crossdresser (dansō) escort and to analyse some research aspects of the ethnographic fieldwork I conducted in a dansō escort company in Tokyo, between September 2015 and July 2016. I will start my analysis explaining what the dansō escort service is and how it works, then I will proceed explaining how dansō build their male identity and what kind of connection can be found between crossdressing and homosexuality and I will identify the typology of customers who benefit from this peculiar escort service and the reasons behind their choice. Both the research questions will be tackled through the partial presentation of my research outcomes. To conclude, I will demonstrate the importance of direct participation of the researcher into the field in socio-anthropological research to obtain relevant findings.
Girlhood Studies, vol. 12(3), 2019
In this article, I focus on the childhood and adolescent life experiences of dansō (female-to-mal... more In this article, I focus on the childhood and adolescent life experiences of dansō (female-to-male crossdressers) who work as escorts in contemporary Japan, and on the process that led to their presentation of self as gendered masculine in their private and working lives. During their childhood and adolescence, dansō have to negotiate their identity and self-presentation to adhere to the gendered pressures of Japanese society. Through an analysis of interviews undertaken with 14 dansō informants, I explore dansō’s construction of a male identity before adulthood, highlighting the societal impositions they experienced and the coping strategies to which they resorted in order to create and maintain a space in which to express their queer selves.
University of Manchester, 2019
Mechademia, 2020
The boys love (BL) genre was first introduced to Italy by the 1990s. The BL scene in Italy has gr... more The boys love (BL) genre was first introduced to Italy by the 1990s. The BL scene in Italy has greatly changed since then: to begin with, words such as “shōnen’ai” and “yaoi” do not sound alien anymore, especially among younger fans. Recently, some yuri titles such as Citrus and Yagate kimi ni naru (released in Italy with the English title Bloom into You) have also been positively received, a clear sign of the shift in mentality of both publishers and fans. To get a sense of this scene today, including original works, I interviewed five individuals in the Italian manga publishing industry to attempt a description of the current BL and yuri market and how these genres influence Italian comic artists. The impressions of these professionalsl shed light on some of the dynamics at work in the Italian queer media sphere.
Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture
This article focuses on the representation of FtM cross-dresser characters in Japanese shōjo mang... more This article focuses on the representation of FtM cross-dresser characters in Japanese shōjo manga and their gender performances. The first cross-dresser heroine in manga is Sapphire, the main character from 1953s Ribon no kishi. Following this first example, similar characters have continued to appear in shōjo manga, obtaining very positive responses from the audience. While they are seen as rebellious characters challenging stereotypical views on gender in the Japanese society, the narratives where they appear do not always fully explore this aspect. The aim of this article is to investigate the role of cross-dresser heroines in manga as a tool to reinforce the sociocultural patriarchal status quo and as a different gender embodiment outside stereotyped femininity. It argues that the possibility for those characters to occupy powerful positions and succeed is related to masculinity, symbolized by the sword, stressing how ultimately their revolutionary potential is weakened and lim...
Asian Anthropology
Abstract Ethnography is a methodology that requires both intellectual and physical efforts and is... more Abstract Ethnography is a methodology that requires both intellectual and physical efforts and is carried out through the body. The body is also the site where affect is experienced, which in Massumi’s view is “an ability to affect and a susceptibility to be affected” of a body in constant transition. This article explores my ethnographic fieldwork on FtM crossdresser (dansō) escorts in Japan, taking into account the role played by the body, affects, and emotions, also analyzing their relationship with materiality and the surrounding environment. My body became the means of interaction with crossdressers and customers, and its masculinization affected and was affected by objects and the surrounding spaces. It was also the site where I experienced affective intensities descriptive of the experience of crossdressers and date clients. I first focus on the body and its physical and emotional reactions to investigate the practice of crossdressing, identifying the role played by objects in enhancing masculinity. I highlight crossdressers’ and customers’ management of spaces and human interactions as or towards displaced bodies. To conclude, I investigate the body as a way to interact with spaces and individuals from the standpoint of “affective correspondence”.
Yuri manga are focused on the representation of sentimental relations between girls. Despite stil... more Yuri manga are focused on the representation of sentimental relations between girls. Despite still being a niche within the manga landscape, the popularity of this genre in terms of number of productions and fans is increasing, and in the last few years its fame has been expanding outside Japan as well. As a manga genre, yuri developed since the mid-2000s. Notwithstanding being a novel genre, yuri narratives are deeply embedded into the heritage of the late Meiji-early Shōwa shōjo bunka (girls’ culture), and especially into the so-called «esu kankei» relationships, girl/girl bonds developing in girls’ schools at the time. The aim of this article is double-folded: from one hand, I will highlight and discuss the birth of yuri manga, analysing the re-elaboration of the heritage of shōjo bunka and its cultural productions – such as Yoshiya Nobuko’s Hana Monogatari – into the first examples of yuri manga, to demonstrate the intermediality and intertextuality of these media. On the other ...
East Asian Journal of Popular Culture
Isayama Hajime’s Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan 2009–present, hereafter SnK) has gained huge... more Isayama Hajime’s Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan 2009–present, hereafter SnK) has gained huge resonance since its first release, a popularity by no means limited to Japan, and enhanced by the high-quality animation series by the same name (2013–present), directed by Araki Tetsurô (first season) and Koizuka Masashi, which has followed from the manga storyline. Without doubt, this success is due to a gripping narrative, focusing on fierce fights between the apparently invincible titans and the numerous characters that aim to save humanity, whose different aesthetic and behavioural characteristics unfailingly appeal to very mixed audiences. In this sense, there are three very notable features of SnK. First, the female characters subvert, redraw or re-interpret stereotypes about femininity both aesthetically and behaviourally, and they can be read as queer. Second, the text presents a lesbian subtext that enriches the narrative in queer terms. Ultimately, the ability of some main ch...
East Asian Journal of Popular Culture, 2021
Isayama Hajime's Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan 2009-present, hereafter SnK) has gained huge... more Isayama Hajime's Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan 2009-present, hereafter SnK) has gained huge resonance since its first release, a popularity by no means limited to Japan, and enhanced by the high-quality animation series by the same name (2013-present), directed by Araki Tetsurô (first season) and Koizuka Masashi, which has followed from the manga storyline. Without doubt, this success is due to a gripping narrative, focusing on fierce fights between the apparently invincible titans and the numerous characters that aim to save humanity, whose different aesthetic and behavioural characteristics unfailingly appeal to very mixed audiences. In this sense, there are three very notable features of SnK. First, the female characters subvert, redraw or re-interpret stereotypes about femininity both aesthetically and behaviourally, and they can be read as queer. Second, the text presents a lesbian subtext that enriches the narrative in queer terms. Ultimately, the ability of some main characters to shift between the two categories of 'human' and 'titan' contributes to destabilizing binary divisions in terms of normative or non-normative bodies, providing an additional layer to a queer reading of this text. Through an analysis of the manga and anime versions of SnK, this article investigates how gender stereotypes, heteronormativity and the dichotomy normalizing normative identities vis-à-vis non-normative identities are portrayed. This analysis sheds light on the (lack of) alternatives to binary models KEYWORDS manga queer gender femininity titan abject counter-hegemonic
Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture, 2021
This article focuses on the representation of FtM cross-dresser characters in Japanese shōjo mang... more This article focuses on the representation of FtM cross-dresser characters in Japanese shōjo manga and their gender performances. The first cross-dresser heroine in manga is Sapphire, the main character from 1953s Ribon no kishi. Following this first example, similar characters have continued to appear in shōjo manga, obtaining very positive responses from the audience. While they are seen as rebellious characters challenging stereotypical views on gender in the Japanese society, the narratives where they appear do not always fully explore this aspect. The aim of this article is to investigate the role of cross-dresser heroines in manga as a tool to reinforce the sociocultural patriarchal status quo and as a different gender embodiment outside stereotyped femininity. It argues that the possibility for those characters to occupy powerful positions and succeed is related to masculinity, symbolized by the sword, stressing how ultimately their revolutionary potential is weakened and limited.
Emoticons, Kaomoji, and Emoji
Girlhood Studies
In this article, I focus on the childhood and adolescent life experiences of dansō (female-to-mal... more In this article, I focus on the childhood and adolescent life experiences of dansō (female-to-male crossdressers) who work as escorts in contemporary Japan, and on the process that led to their presentation of self as gendered masculine in their private and working lives. During their childhood and adolescence, dansō have to negotiate their identity and self-presentation to adhere to the gendered pressures of Japanese society. Through an analysis of interviews undertaken with 14 dansō informants, I explore dansō’s construction of a male identity before adulthood, highlighting the societal impositions they experienced and the coping strategies to which they resorted in order to create and maintain a space in which to express their queer selves.
Girlhood Studies
In this article, I focus on the childhood and adolescent life experiences of dansō (female-to-mal... more In this article, I focus on the childhood and adolescent life experiences of dansō (female-to-male crossdressers) who work as escorts in contemporary Japan, and on the process that led to their presentation of self as gendered masculine in their private and working lives. During their childhood and adolescence, dansō have to negotiate their identity and self-presentation to adhere to the gendered pressures of Japanese society. Through an analysis of interviews undertaken with 14 dansō informants, I explore dansō’s construction of a male identity before adulthood, highlighting the societal impositions they experienced and the coping strategies to which they resorted in order to create and maintain a space in which to express their queer selves.
Tracing Pathways 雲路 Interdisciplinary Studies on Modern and Contemporary East Asia, Firenze University Press, 2021
Yuri manga are focused on the representation of sentimental relations between girls. Despite stil... more Yuri manga are focused on the representation of sentimental relations between girls. Despite still being a niche within the manga landscape, the popularity of this genre in terms of number of productions and fans is increasing, and in the last few years its fame has been expanding outside Japan as well. As a manga genre, yuri developed since the mid-2000s. Notwithstanding being a novel genre, yuri narratives are deeply embedded into the heritage of the late Meiji-early Shōwa shōjo bunka (girls' culture), and especially into the so-called «esu kankei» relationships, girl/girl bonds developing in girls' schools at the time. The aim of this article is double-folded: from one hand, I will highlight and discuss the birth of yuri manga, analysing the re-elaboration of the heritage of shōjo bunka and its cultural productions-such as Yoshiya Nobuko's Hana Monogatari-into the first examples of yuri manga, to demonstrate the intermediality and intertextuality of these media. On the other hand, I will map the development of yuri manga through the 2000s, stressing onto the increasing relevance given by these narratives to LGBTQ+ related themes, along with the detachment from the influence of shōjo bunka.
Mishima Monogatari - Un samurai delle arti, 2020
Mishima Yukio è senza dubbio tra i nomi della letteratura giapponese più noti al pubblico occiden... more Mishima Yukio è senza dubbio tra i nomi della letteratura giapponese più noti al pubblico occidentale, ma anche uno tra i più controversi. Personaggio e scrittore affascinante e sfaccettato, è considerato da alcuni come l’icona del “vero Giappone”, quello nascosto sotto la patina della modernità, mentre per altri rappresenta l’ultimo anelito di una mentalità anacronistica e destrorsa. Capire quello che Mishima è stato e ciò che ancora rappresenta per il Giappone e per la letteratura è un compito difficile se non addirittura impossibile. Quello che a una critica contemporanea risulta più accessibile è invece l’analisi della ricezione del suo lavoro, specialmente al di fuori del Giappone.
In tal senso, vorrei analizzare come l’opera teatrale di Mishima Madame de Sade sia stata recepita dalla critica inglese, approfondendo le ragioni dietro un giudizio marcatamente negativo per un’opera ritenuta in patria e in altri Paesi europei un grandissimo successo.
Mechademia Second Arc, 2020
The boys love (BL) genre was first introduced to Italy by the 1990s. The BL scene in Italy has gr... more The boys love (BL) genre was first introduced to Italy by the 1990s. The BL scene in Italy has greatly changed since then: to begin with, words such as “shōnen’ai” and “yaoi” do not sound alien anymore, especially among younger fans.
Recently, some yuri titles such as Citrus and Yagate kimi ni naru (released in Italy with the English title Bloom into You) have also been positively received, a clear sign of the shift in mentality of both publishers and fans.
To get a sense of this scene today, including original works, I interviewed
five individuals in the Italian manga publishing industry to attempt a description of the current BL and yuri market and how these genres influence Italian comic artists. The impressions of these professionalsl shed light on some of the dynamics at work in the Italian queer media sphere.
InGenere - Dati, Politiche, Questioni di Genere, 2020
Da angeli del focolare a occupate usa e getta, come lavorano le donne in Giappone negli anni del... more Da angeli del focolare a occupate usa e getta, come lavorano le donne in Giappone negli anni della cosiddetta abenomics.
"Per favore, fate molti figli!", è il consiglio che Yoshihide Suga, il successore di Shinzō Abe alla guida del Giappone, ha rivolto alle donne giapponesi in un discorso alla Fuji TV nel settembre 2015. Anche Tarō Asō, già premier nel 2008-2009 aveva rincarato la dose nel 2019, dichiarando che il vero problema del paese non erano gli anziani, bensì le donne senza figli. Un'affermazione che gli era valsa il riconoscimento di "commento più sessista dell'anno [7]" nel panorama politico nipponico.
The European Sociologist ISSUE 45: PANDEMIC (IM)POSSIBILITIES VOL. 1 , 2020
Feeling part of a group, in these times of pandemic isolation, is an extremely important factor i... more Feeling part of a group, in these times of pandemic isolation, is an extremely important factor in enduring and coping with everyday life – as demonstrated by the increasing number of music-on-the-balcony flashmobs, another collective Italian way to cope with the quarantine.
Since the end of February, when the first restrictive measures were introduced in some areas in the north of Italy, on my Facebook wall I stepped into tons of memes about the pandemic, the political actors involved, and the impulsive, and sometimes stupid, reactions of people to the lockdown. Although for some this could be a very disrespectful way to deal with fear and isolation (and death), I honestly feel that I disagree...
Asian Anthropology, 2019
Ethnography is a methodology that requires both intellectual and physical efforts and is carried ... more Ethnography is a methodology that requires both intellectual and physical efforts and is carried out through the body. The body is also the site where affect is experienced, which in Massumi’s view is “an ability to affect and a susceptibility to be affected” of a body in constant transition. This article explores my ethnographic fieldwork on FtM crossdresser (dansō) escorts in Japan, taking into account the role played by the body, affects, and emotions, also analyzing their relationship with materiality and the surrounding environment. My body became the means of interaction with crossdressers and customers, and its masculinization affected and was affected by objects and the surrounding spaces. It was also the site where I experienced affective intensities descriptive of the experience of crossdressers and date clients. I first focus on the body and its physical and emotional reactions to investigate the practice of crossdressing, identifying the role played by objects in enhancing masculinity. I highlight crossdressers’ and customers’ management of spaces and human interactions as or towards displaced bodies. To conclude, I investigate the body as a way to interact with spaces and individuals from the standpoint of “affective correspondence”.
Orizzonti giapponesi Ricerche, idee, prospettive, 2018
The aim of this paper is to introduce the reader to the world of female-to-male crossdresser (dan... more The aim of this paper is to introduce the reader to the world of female-to-male crossdresser (dansō) escort and to analyse some research aspects of the ethnographic fieldwork I conducted in a dansō escort company in Tokyo, between September 2015 and July 2016. I will start my analysis explaining what the dansō escort service is and how it works, then I will proceed explaining how dansō build their male identity and what kind of connection can be found between crossdressing and homosexuality and I will identify the typology of customers who benefit from this peculiar escort service and the reasons behind their choice. Both the research questions will be tackled through the partial presentation of my research outcomes. To conclude, I will demonstrate the importance of direct participation of the researcher into the field in socio-anthropological research to obtain relevant findings.
Girlhood Studies, vol. 12(3), 2019
In this article, I focus on the childhood and adolescent life experiences of dansō (female-to-mal... more In this article, I focus on the childhood and adolescent life experiences of dansō (female-to-male crossdressers) who work as escorts in contemporary Japan, and on the process that led to their presentation of self as gendered masculine in their private and working lives. During their childhood and adolescence, dansō have to negotiate their identity and self-presentation to adhere to the gendered pressures of Japanese society. Through an analysis of interviews undertaken with 14 dansō informants, I explore dansō’s construction of a male identity before adulthood, highlighting the societal impositions they experienced and the coping strategies to which they resorted in order to create and maintain a space in which to express their queer selves.
9:00 INAUGURAZIONE (Valentina Pedone e Ikuko Sagiyama) 9:10-10:25 PRIMA SESSIONE (chair: Andrea S... more 9:00 INAUGURAZIONE (Valentina Pedone e Ikuko Sagiyama)
9:10-10:25 PRIMA SESSIONE (chair: Andrea Scibetta)
9:15 YANG Lin (Nankai University): "Fra immaginazione e realtà: l'immagine della Cina nelle scritture di viaggio di Alberto Arbasino e Luigi Malerba"
9:40 Marta FANASCA (HSE, St. Petersburg): "L'amore al femminile nei Manga Yuri"
Question Corner (15min.)
10:20-10:30 Coffee Break
10:30-11:45 SECONDA SESSIONE (chair: Diego Cucinelli)
10:35 Meri PERNA (Università di Perugia): "Identità e inclusione sociale dei giovani cinesi nella regione Marche"
11:00 Giacomo CALORIO (Università Milano Bicocca): "Cos'è il cinema giapponese contemporaneo? Interrogare le risposte, rispondere con (altre) domande"
Question Corner (15min.)
11:45-12:00 Saluti conclusivi
Through the analysis of manga (and deriving anime) belonging to the genre known as yuri and focus... more Through the analysis of manga (and deriving anime) belonging to the genre known as yuri and focused on women sentimentally and/or sexually attracted by other women, in this talk I investigate the media representation of female same-sex intimacy and sexuality in contemporary Japan, highlighting contact points and differences with the shōjo bunka cultural milieu and its cultural productions such as Hana Monogatari.
In 2020 the world’s gaze will turn to Tokyo, as it hosts the summer Olympic Games. In light of th... more In 2020 the world’s gaze will turn to Tokyo, as it hosts the summer Olympic Games. In light of this, Japan is increasingly reflecting upon issues of gender representation and awareness. Only in the course of last year, several university medical schools were found to have favoured male applicants by having different passing marks for men and women.
In addition, female workers’ employment conditions remain as bad as ever, while the masculine stereotype of the breadwinner pushes many men to their death due to overwork. At the same time, the #MeToo movement has empowered women to break their silence and speak out about sexual allegation scandals; the LGBTQ+ community recently marked Tokyo’s 25th Pride March; and genderless subcultures and fashions are on the rise.
This event explores the lived dimensions of gender in Japan, and how gender is portrayed in media narratives of identity. Join a panel of experts from UK-based universities and associations, and dive into the kaleidoscopic dimensions of wearing, performing and even enduring gender in Japan; explored through media and pop culture engagement - from anime and manga to films and theatre.
There will be film and video screenings, and a round-table discussion. Come along and discover traditional and new gender embodiments in contemporary Japan, and how gender is being explored through media and ground-breaking research! The event is being organised by the University of Manchester, in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University, Japan Society North West, and the Embassy of Japan as part of their ‘Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019-20’.
Katsuhiro Ōtomo's 'Akira' Film Screening, Talk, and Q&A with Dr Esperanza Miyake, Manchester Metr... more Katsuhiro Ōtomo's 'Akira' Film Screening, Talk, and Q&A with
Dr Esperanza Miyake, Manchester Metropolitan University and
Marcello Francioni, SOAS University of London
Challenging intertwined conceptualizations of
gender identity, spaces, and technology in
contemporary Japan.
L’intervento offrirà una panoramica sulla Queer Theory, a partire dalla sua comparsa negli anni N... more L’intervento offrirà una panoramica sulla Queer Theory, a partire dalla sua comparsa negli anni Novanta fino ai suoi ultimi sviluppi, e analizzerà, tramite esempi presi dal mondo del manga e da studi sociologici relativi al Giappone, come questo strumento teorico-metodologico possa essere positivamente applicato al mondo delle ricerche sul Giappone. Si prenderanno in considerazione estratti da “La principessa Zaffiro” (Ribon no kishi, 1953), “Lady Oscar” (Versailles no bara, 1973), “Sailor Moon S” (Bishōjo senshi Sailor Moon S, 1993), “Utena la ragazza rivoluzionaria” (Shōjo kakumei Utena, 1996) e Nana (2000).
We are proud to announce Women on the Verge: Transformations in Literature, Gender and Society, t... more We are proud to announce Women on the Verge: Transformations in Literature, Gender and Society, the first of a planned series of one-day conferences aimed at PhD students and early career scholars from across the Humanities and beyond. The conference aims to serve as an interdisciplinary forum for discussion, analysis and reflection on the concept of femininity and gender representations, which are socially, geographically and culturally embedded. Furthermore, it focuses on the re-appreciation of women as creative and professional figures within the literary environment and the cultural marketplace (artists, authors, publishers, editors, translators and so forth). We welcome papers from, but not limited to, the fields of Literature, Translation, Interpreting and Intercultural Studies, Media and Film Studies, History, Book History and Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Art History and Visual Culture. The conference also invites contributions for a small photo exhibition to be held at The University of Manchester. Abstract of approx. 250-300 words can be sent to
Conferenza a cura di Anna Specchio 15 aprile 2019 ore 16.00 Aula M1 Palazzo Lionello Venturi, via... more Conferenza a cura di Anna Specchio
15 aprile 2019 ore 16.00
Aula M1 Palazzo Lionello Venturi, via Verdi 25, Torino
Japan Beyond Binary
Oltre i binarismi di genere nelle professioni linguistiche, in letteratura e nella pop culture
Intervengono:
Anna Specchio (Università degli Studi di Torino)
Whatgender, whatsexual, whatever.
Le protagoniste di Murata Sayaka oltre i binarismi di genere e sesso
Marta Fanasca (Università di Manchester)
Performing the other: il caso dei dansō escort
Deborah Elena Giustini (Università di Manchester)
Lavoro, dunque sono: donne giapponesi e identità professionale nell’industria linguistica
Florientalia 2020, 2020
Preface Diego Cucinelli, Andrea Scibetta For the fourth collection in the Florientalia Asian Stu... more Preface
Diego Cucinelli, Andrea Scibetta
For the fourth collection in the Florientalia Asian Studies Series we chose
the title Tracing Pathways 雲路 to celebrate how scholars can always trace new routes, paths and directions with their research, even when it seems that everything on a specific topic or issue has already been said and written. Pathways may have different forms, depicting either a straight way or a winding one, but they have the same function, that is to trace a route from a starting point to a goal.
So does the research work, and we believe that the contributions of the scholars hosted in this volume could really enrich the field of Chinese and Japanese Studies through the pathways they chose to trace with their research studies.
This volume collects articles by eight contributors interested in different research areas within the field of East Asian Studies. The articles, which are organized in a Japanese section and a Chinese section, use different approaches across disciplines belonging to humanities in order to explore topics ranging from classical and contemporary East Asian literature to contact linguistics, sociology and anthropology.
The Japanese section contains four essays dealing with modern and contemporary literature and cinema. The opening contribution by Giacomo Calorio concerns contemporary Japanese cinema starting from a statement of the Japanese film scholar Yomota Inuhiko, which is What is Japanese Cinema?. In his article, Calorio discusses about ideas of contemporaneity and national cinema in the contemporary Japanese film production. The second contribution, by Diego Cucinelli, analyses the literary motif known as kame naku, ‘crying turtle’, and
traces its path through Japanese literature from its origin to the contemporary age. In particular, by using kame naku as keyword Cucinelli analyzes the attitudes and sensations of modern and contemporary poets and novelists toward the motif. The third contribution is by Marta Fanasca, who deals with yuri manga, i.e. manga focused on the representation of sentimental relations between girls. In particular, Fanasca analyzes the manga re-elaboration of Yoshiya Nobuko’s Hana monogatari (1916), a collection of short stories on “passionate friendships” between students, or a student and a young teacher. The forth contribution, by Tsuboi Hideto, deals with tenkō bungaku, the «literature of conversion»: focusing
on some writings by Kobayashi Morito, in his paper Tsuboi analyzes
the stories of conversion experiences of various converted people (tenkōsha), reexamining how they accepted conversion, and at the same time focuses on the contradictions and conflicts that occurred there.
The contributions included in the Chinese section concern two main macro-
topics: on the one side, they bring into light issues related to cultural contacts between Italy and China from different perspectives; on the other, they deal with Chinese migration to Italy, by highlighting socio-historical aspects as well as cultural production. The first contribution, by Andrea Scibetta, focuses on the case study of the graphic novels Primavere e Autunni and Chinamen, both produced by Matteo Demonte and Ciaj Rocchi, as hugh-value cultural products both in terms of historical reconstruction of Chinese migration to Italy and of symbolic representations of Chinese migrants beyond stereotypical and simplistic views. The second essay, by Yang Lin, focuses on the image of China in the travel writings of two twentieth-century scholars, i.e. Alberto Arbasino and Luigi Malerba: the main issue which this essay draws its attention to is the role played by China as a literary space between imagination and reality in
the writings of both authors. The third and the forth essays are mainly related to Chinese migration to Italy, which is seen from two different perspectives: a socio-anthropological one, dealing with social integration of Chinese youth in the Marche region in Italy in the contribution by Meri Perna; one blending the aspect of cultural production with a historical dimension in the contribution by Yan Xiaopeng and Zhao Yinyin. The contribution by Meri Perna concerns issues of identity and social integration of Chinese youth in the Marche region, taking
into account the results of a questionnaire administered to 198 young people and 21 teachers. Finally, the essay written by Yan Xiaopeng and Zhao Yinyin investigates migrant cultural productions in the town of Guifeng (Rui’An area) in its main historical developments, and then analyses the influences played by such a production on the broader cultural production of migrants belonging to the district of Wenzhou.
We are grateful to all the contributors and the referees who participated in
the volume and helped us with ideas and suggestions, thus creating a fruitful climate of academic collaboration and exchange, and we hope to contribute, explore and trace new trajectories within the field of East Asian Studies.
Emoticons, Kaomoji, and Emoji The Transformation of Communication in the Digital Age, 2019
In this chapter I will focus on the use of emoticons, emoji and kaomoji by female-to-male crossdr... more In this chapter I will focus on the use of emoticons, emoji and kaomoji by female-to-male crossdressers who are working as escorts in contemporary Japan (dansō). I specifically highlight the role that those visual aids adopted in technology-mediated communication occupy in the development of a masculine gender identity by my informants, and the relevance they have in delivering forms of emotional labour (Hochschild 1983).