Representing the economic boom and its anxieties: Italy and Japan

Abstract

In my dissertation, I explore the cultural anxieties surrounding the economic miracles of Japan (1950-1970) and Italy (1958-1963) in the post-war period, focusing on the interplay of American influence, tradition, and modernity, as well as the evolving constructions of masculinity, gender roles, and patriarchal structures. This study highlights the shared struggles and distinct responses to rapid modernization and societal transformation by examining key literary and cinematic works from both nations. I argue that the economic miracles in Japan and Italy reveal common struggles with identity, gender, and societal expectations during rapid change. By comparing the two nations, this work demonstrates how similar challenges can manifest differently in unique cultural contexts while highlighting shared anxieties. First, I establish a connection between Italy and Japan by analyzing the translations of tankas by Gherardo Marone and Shimoi Harukichi. Then, I examine texts and cinematic representations of Italy and Japan: Un amore (1963) by Dino Buzzati, Una bambolona (1967) by Alba De Cespedes, American Hijiki (1967) by Nosaka Akiyuki, and the films Un amore (1965) by Gianni Vernuccio, La bambolona (1968) by Franco Giraldi, The Life of Oharu (1952) by Kenji Mizoguchi, and Flowing (1956) by Naruse Mikio. I explore the patriarchal anxiety in a changing world – Eastern and Western – and how the rapid economic growth intensified these anxieties about masculinity and gender roles. I also show how modernization and consumer culture commodified the relationships between gender roles: women were reduced to objects of desire, and they fought against the patriarchal system to revert it. In Chapter One, I establish a historical frame for Italy and Japan, exploring the dichotomy of tradition vs. modernity and the theme of alienation. In Chapter Two, I analyze the tankas translated in La Diana by Gherardo Marone and Harukichi Shimoi. In Chapter Three, I examine the commodification of gender roles, the alienation caused by consumer culture and patriarchal society, and the threat to masculinity in Italian novels and films. Finally, Chapter Four investigates films depicting women’s lives constrained by patriarchal structures amidst Japan’s modernization.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical reference