Self and Others in Transitions: How Moving from One(‘s) Self to the Next Isn't Being Done Alone

Up until the early 1990s, the Japanese post-war period was marked by important economic growth and the implementation of social reforms that set the stage for the standardization of many social scripts and the institutionalization of often gendered and classed life-courses. Following the collapse of the bubble economy, individuals were faced with new challenges in the course of their daily lives, adjusting to these changing socio-economic structures; young adults were particularly affected, as transitions that had become the norm in past periods became uncertain. Such changes are well documented, and include amongst other examples the increased difficulty to find regular employment after finishing education as well as changes in contemporary family structures. As such, young adults’ experiences have become increasingly out of sync with formal and tacit expectations of what their lives ‘should’, or ‘could’ be.

In stark contrast, popular culture in ‘Cool Japan’ has continued to expand, gaining positive and negative criticism alike for policy makers and academicians. On one hand, it has proved profitable to the economy; on the other, the effects of practices associated with it have been said to have negative effects on fans (e.g., otaku), and especially on their social skills, attitudes and values (e.g., hikikomori).

Following over forty interviews and more than two years of participant observation, my presentation aims to better define how cultural practices known as kosupure (e.g., cosplay) are actually fostering new forms of sociabilities through the use of the body, definition of self, recognition, social distance and intimacy, and the creation of selective social networks through interactions. In other words, I aim to look at culture’s mediating effect on the opportunities and constraints that come to articulate the subjective experiences and trajectories of young adults facing an uncertain, and unequal world.