Identity

As the term of “identity politics” shows us clearly, “identity” is one of the key concepts to understand the contemporary world. Terms like Japanese identity or being Japanese along with various expressions with kokumin (Japanese nationals) are often used in Japan nowadays as well. This phenomenon would reflect a massive transformation of political, economic, social and cultural structure of both Japan and the world. To understand it correctly, we need to examine the emergence of narratives focusing on the identity in global context.

Combining multiple academic approaches, we try to reveal various aspects of “identity” in Japan and relevant issues. We attempt to interpret and understand them in global context and explain why identities matter nowadays in the world applying our achievement as a case study.