Document Detail


Telling her story: narrating a Japanese lesbian community.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20661799     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
This article explores queer Japanese women's narratives of their own histories and the history of the "Japanese lesbian community," which has been constructed as a space outside the heterosexual mainstream, a space where queer women can find at least temporary refuge. It begins with the acknowledgment that the evolution and the shape of the community, along with the identities of the women who comprise it, are shifting and contested. This article specifically looks at the long history of the lesbian bar scene as well as more recent history of lesbian dance parties; the early role of lesbian feminism and activism; lesbian community-based and commercial publications, paying special attention to the critical role translation has played in Japanese lesbian discourse and the construction of multiple lesbian identities; and, finally, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride events and film festivals, through which the larger LGBT community has been gaining increasing visibility. This article argues that while some of the building blocks of the community are borrowed, from the "West" as well as from the Japanese gay community, there has also been creative translation, adaptation, and resistance to these imports. The resulting Japanese lesbian community is a complex and local construct, an innovative bricolage firmly sited in Japan.
Authors:
James Welker
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Comparative Study; Historical Article; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of lesbian studies     Volume:  14     ISSN:  1540-3548     ISO Abbreviation:  J Lesbian Stud     Publication Date:  2010  
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-07-27     Completed Date:  2010-12-20     Revised Date:  2012-02-17    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9891002     Medline TA:  J Lesbian Stud     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  359-80     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. jrwelker@me.com
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Asian Continental Ancestry Group / history*
Cross-Cultural Comparison*
Female
History, 20th Century
History, 21st Century
Homosexuality, Female / history*
Humans
Japan
Residence Characteristics / history*

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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