This was written for a presentation of the same name at the October meeting for Miyagi Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) in 2014. The focus of the presentation was identifying important cultural behavioral systems in Japanese society and discussing the functions they play in interpersonal relationships. The file is only a backdrop to illustrate the speaker's arguments, but it may be able to provide some insight on its own. Please check the last slides as they contain the references used for constructing this presentation, and please ask if you want to use this for your own research. (Also, I'm not an expert on this, do more research - mine your bibliographies!)

1. ANTHROPOLOGICAL |
EXAMINING IDEOLOGICAL
BASES OF CULTURE
AND SOCIETY
VIEWS OF JAPAN |
OCTOBER 2014 – MAX DARLINGTON

2. PRECAUTIONS
• Attitude makes the difference
• Always Be Critical
• Maintain perspective

3. ANTHROPOLOGY
• “The study of human races, origins, societies, and cultures”
• “A central concern…[of anthropology] is the application of knowledge to
the solution of human problems”
–Merriam-Webster online
–American Anthropological Assoc.

4. SUBDIVISIONS
• Cultural
• Comparative study of the manifold ways people understand
their world
• Lived Ethnography
• Physical
• Study non-cultural aspects of humans
• Archaeology
• Recovering pre-history of societies
• Linguistic
• Comparative study of ways
language influences social life

5. SOCIOCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
• Social Aspect
• “Attempt to isolate a particular system of social relations”
• Cultural Aspect
• “Aim to provide a rounded view of the knowledge, customs, and
institutions of a people”

6. CULTURE

7. CULTURAL CYCLE
• Individuals
• Interactions
• Institutions
• Ideas
• Individuals are actors of
cultural ideas, but can
only affect them through
institutions

8. BENNETT SCALE

9. MINIMIZATION
• Essentialism
• Reducing a foreign culture to symbols
to fulfill an image or agenda
• “Paris Syndrome”

10. CULTURE SHOCK
• Coincides with the ‘Acceptance’ stage
• Adaptation expressed as rejection, assimilation, or cosmopolitanism

11. MIDDLE OF THE PRESENTATION

12. CONTEXT
• Low-context cultures
• Linear, individualistic, logical
• Over-familiar, impudent
• High-context cultures
• Relational, collectivist, intuitive
• Reserved, roundabout
• Cues
• The “hidden cultural grammar” or
“code” that cultural members rely on

13. SOCIETAL STRUCTURE
• Collectivist
• Emphasizes cooperation and
context
• Ontological security dependent
upon group identity
• Individualist
• Emphasizes independence and
clarity
• Inclined towards personal, narrow
interpretations

14. SOCIETY

15. SHAME & GUILT

16. NIHONJINRON {日本人論}
• Theories on Japanese identity
• Race, Geography, Language,
Psychology, and Society
• National identity construction
(often in contrast to external
identities)
• Intellectual Hegemony
• Concept of hierarchy underlying
cultural practices

17. AMAE {甘え}
• Interdependent indulgence system
• Intimate social relations function as amaekasu
• Provide outlet for stress from ganbaru {頑張る}

18. PUBLIC & PRIVATE SELF
• Public
• Identity which can be comfortably displayed for public interpretation
• Private
• Identity which can not be shared with unfamiliar people

19. SOCIAL SPACE
• Uchi {内} – ‘in-group’
• Most intimate group of
relationships
• Safe space for private self
• Soto {外} / Seken {世間}
• Acquaintances most sensitive to
public appearances and behavior
• Origin of shame from society
• Yoso {ヨソ} – ‘out-group’
• Strangers with no prior
connection

20. GAIJIN COMPLEX
• Anxiety from encountering someone both unaware of the
sociocultural system and seen as beyond the out-group

21. KEJIME {けじめ}
• Index
• Behavioral Relativism –
Delineates how much amae,
as opposed to what specific
behavior, is appropriate
• Situationalism
• Meta-knowledge of the
shifting nature of in-group
and out-group distinctions
within interactions

22. FORM & CONTENT
• Omote {表}
• Public appearance that is presented
• Ura {裏}
• Private content that underlies the situation
• Inversely related

23. PUBLIC BEHAVIOR
• Honne {本音}
• Sincere, private feelings present in ura
and only expressed to in-groups
• Tatemae {建前}
• Politeness which is maintained as
public, omote behavior

24. CIVIL ACTIONS
• Giri {義理}
• Public actions for both in-group or out-group benefit originating
from amaekasu and tatemae
• Ninjo {人情}
• Private interests similar to honne expressible to in-group

25. IN CONCLUSION
• “[Humans] really are amazing creatures.
You can learn all there is to know about their ways
in a month and yet,
after a hundred years,
they can still surprise you.”
Dr. Gandalf the Grey

26. IMAGES
• Rochin, Christi. “Cool Japan.”, “Spring fever.” Image. Web. Metropolis mag.
• Namisato, David. “Life After the B.O.E.” Image. Web.
• Inglehart, Ronald and Welzel, Christian. “Cultural Values Map.” Image. Web. World
Values Survey.
• Liu, Yang. “East meets West.”
• Unknown. “Bennett’s Development Model of Intercultural Sensitivity.” Image. Web.
TheGlobalOffice.ca.
• Bennett, Milton. “Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity.” Image. Web.
• Unknown. “Amae.” Image. Web. Tofugu.
• Yoko. “率直に言うと.” Image. Web. Ilbono.com. 東京外国語大学校.

27. SOURCES
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• Tai, Eika. “Rethinking Culture, National Culture, and Japanese Culture.” Sociocultural Issues in
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• Jorden, Eleanor H. “The Target-Native and the Base-Native: Making the Team.” The Journal of the
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