McDowell, Jennifer E.
(2011)
KOKESHI: CONTINUED AND CREATED TRADITIONS(MOTIVATIONS FOR A JAPANESE FOLK ART DOLL).
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
This study will concentrate on the transformative nature of culturally specific folk art objects, and how they are contextualized within narratives of national tradition and regionalism. Utilizing the Japanese wooden folk art doll kokeshi as a vivid example, I will explore how tradition becomes embodied in objects, and in turn how the image of the kokeshi is actively used to define perceived traditional spaces under the umbrella of cultural nationalism and nostalgia. The establishment of folk art categories like kokeshi reflects the deeper dynamics of Japanese nation building, and the role that the Tōhoku region (the production area for kokeshi) plays in national cohesiveness. Tōhoku and the products within it act as perceived repositories of tradition and self-discovery in what are defined as furusato (hometown) spaces. Those landscapes and objects found within these hometowns become by association traditional and evocative of a past more simple and serene lifestyle. The classification, collection, and creation of works devoted to the perceived regional characteristics of kokeshi will be explored in relation to the larger topic of national cohesion and the formations of traditions.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
| Title | Member | Email Address | Pitt Username | ORCID |
|---|
| Committee Chair | Strathern, Andrew J. | | | | | Committee Member | Lukacs, Gabriella | | | | | Committee Member | Chaiklin, Martha | | | | | Committee Member | Scaglion, Richard | | | |
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| Date: |
29 September 2011 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Defense Date: |
27 April 2011 |
| Approval Date: |
29 September 2011 |
| Submission Date: |
13 August 2011 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Anthropology |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Folk Toy; Craft; Japan |
| Other ID: |
http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-08132011-170825/, etd-08132011-170825 |
| Date Deposited: |
10 Nov 2011 19:59 |
| Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 13:49 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9089 |
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