Sophia University Institute of Comparative Culture Lecture Series 2018

Gender, Labor, and Justice in Japan's Adult Video Industry

Akiko Takeyama


July 13th, 2018
18:30-20:00
Room 301, 3F, Building 10, Sophia University


Increasing numbers of young Japanese women allegedly volunteer to perform in pornography; and yet, the numbers of women, who seek legal support for their forced performance, have been also increasing. Despite the tension, there is neither a clearly designated administrative office nor regulation beyond legal clauses of obscenity and child protection from sexual commerce. Virtually no labor union or advocacy group exists, either. Only recently has the industry drawn greater public attention as a result of media coverage, legal court cases, and the Japanese cabinet office's call for a systematic investigation. Based on my ethnographic fieldwork, this presentation explores the tension between consent and coercion in the making of adult entertainment videos. What does it mean for these women to be recruited to perform in adult videos? What do they commodify and how do they withhold themselves as free individuals? This presentation will shed light on the intersection of gender, labor, and subjectivity in the age of the Internet.


Akiko Takeyama is an associate professor of Anthropology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Kansas. Her research interests lie in changing gender, sexuality, and class dynamics in contemporary Japan. Her first book, /Staged Seduction: Selling Dreams in a Tokyo Host Club/, (2016 Stanford University Press) theorizes the commercialization of feelings, emotions, and intimate relationships in Japan's service-centered economy. Her second book project, tentatively entitled "Affect Economy of Japan's Adult Video Industry," will explore human affect ―hope, vulnerability, and a sense of self-worth― in the Information Age.

http://icc.fla.sophia.ac.jp/html/events/2018-2019/180713_Takeyama.pdf

Language: English / No Prior registration necessary / This talk is organized by Professor David Slater (FLA)


Institute of Comparative Culture (ICC) Sophia University: 7-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8554, JAPAN / Web: http://icc.fla.sophia.ac.jp/