Japanese Colonial Representations of the South Islands: Textual Hybridity, Transracial Love Plots, and Postcolonial Consciousness
Sudo, Naoto (January 2011). "Japanese Colonial Representations of the South Islands: Textual Hybridity, Transracial Love Plots, and Postcolonial Consciousness". New Literatures Review (47/48): 129–147. doi:10.3316/ielapa.201206214. ISSN 0314-7495.
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Abstract: Explores the complexities of Japanese colonial narratives set in a “south island” context. It examines how these narratives depict Japanese colonial desire to civilize indigenous peoples while distinguishing themselves from Western colonizers by promoting cooperation with the colonized. The study analyzes how these narratives transform traditional tales, such as the one about Shunkan, a noble Buddhist monk exiled to a tropical island, into modern colonial tales. It highlights the hybridity in these texts—combining local and foreign elements to reflect and popularize the “south island” discourse.
The text also delves into the depiction of postcolonial consciousness, exploring how colonial narratives question the assimilation and domination inherent in colonial discourse. This is done through elements such as transracial love plots, which serve to dismantle the colonial ideology of assimilation while highlighting interracial love and romance. The paper scrutinizes the role of texts in reflecting colonial fears and desires, using allegories and indirect criticisms to reveal the tensions between the colonizer and the colonized. Additionally, it discusses how modern colonial texts contain decolonizing aspects, albeit often falling short of fully challenging the underlying colonialist premises, The paper considers Japanese colonial literature not only as a reflection of colonial ideologies but also as a medium for postcolonial discourse and resistance, revealing the complex layers of cultural and racial interactions during the colonial era.
