Date: 8-9 December 2018
Venue.: Nanzan University, Nagoya

On 8 December, Yuichi Yamazaki, a graduating FILA student under the seminar of Dr. Johanna Zulueta (Sociology, Migration Studies), presented his thesis at the Student Forum of the Anthropology of Japan in Japan (AJJ) Fall Meeting held at Nanzan University in Nagoya. The AJJ Meetings (both in the Spring and Fall) are comprised of students and academics who do research on Japan mostly from anthropological and sociological perspectives. His presentation was titled, “Balancing Masculinities and Femininities: Strategies Used by Gay Men in Japan”. Based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with self-identified gay Japanese men, Yuichi utilized theories from sociology and gender studies, particularly Erving Goffman’s concept of “dramaturgy” and Judith Butler’s “gender performativity” to analyze how these gay men perform gender based on heteronormative expectations (“compulsory heterosexuality”) in Japanese society. He argued that these gay men balance femininities and masculinities through switching from feminine to masculine behavior according to circumstances and that these kinds of “situational performances” serve a function in avoiding conflicts. Japan is still a closed society in terms of accepting homosexuality, thus these gay men try to perform as “straight” males and present themselves as “normal” males in their everyday lives. Yuichi’s presentation was well-received among both students and professors present in the conference.  

Yuichi Yamazaki will be part of the second batch of students to graduate from the Faculty of International Liberal Arts in March 2019.