Japanophilia: Difference between revisions
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===21st century===<!--The word Weeaboo redirects here--> |
===21st century===<!--The word Weeaboo redirects here--> |
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In the early 2000s, |
In the early 2000s, words meaning ''Japanophile'' have acquired more derogatory connotations. The term ''Wapanese'' (or ''Wannabe Japanese'') first came out in 2002 as a racial slur used to describe a white person who is obsessed with Japanese culture, which includes manga, hentai and anime. The term ''Weeaboo'', or ''Weeb'' later came from a comic strip created by [[Nicholas Gurewitch]] in which the term had no meaning other than it was unpleasant thing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.japanpowered.com/otaku-culture/am-i-a-weeaboo-what-does-weeaboo-mean-anyway|title=Am I a Weeaboo? What does Weeaboo Mean Anyway?|publisher=Japan Powered|author=Chris Kincaid|date=2015-08-30|accessdate=2016-02-21}}</ref> According to an unpublished MA thesis, [[4-chan]] quickly picked up the word, and applied it in an abusive way to the already existing Wapanese term.<ref>{{cite web|last=Davis|first=Jesse Christian|title=Japanese animation in America and its fans|url=http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/8736/thesis.pdf|accessdate=12 December 2015}}</ref> It is debatable whether ''Weeaboo'' has the same meaning as the Japanese term ''[[otaku]]'' (people with obsessive interests). In a blog post on [[Anime News Network]], Justin Sevakis gives a difference between the two, saying that there is nothing wrong with loving Japanese culture. He points out that a person only becomes a ''weeabo'' when they start to be obnoxious, immature, and ignorant about the culture they love.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2014-08-22/.77818|title=Nobody Loves the Weeaboo|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|author=Justin Sevakis|date=August 22, 2014|accessdate=March 10, 2016}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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Revision as of 23:54, 13 March 2016
Japanophilia refers to the appreciation and love of Japanese culture, people or history.[1] In Japanese, the term for Japanophile is "shinnichi" (親日), with "親" "shin" (しん) equivalent to the English prefix 'pro-', and "日" "nichi" (にち), meaning "Japanese" (as in the word for Japan "nihon" (日本)). The term was first used as early as the 18th century, switching in scope over time.
History
Early usage
The term "Japanophile" traces back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries before Japan became more open to foreign trade. Carl Peter Thunberg and Philipp Franz von Siebold helped introduce Japanese flora, artworks, and other objects to Europe which spiked interest.[2][3] Lafcadio Hearn, an Irish-Greek author who made his home in Japan in the 19th century, was described as "a confirmed Japanophile" by Charles E. Tuttle Company in their forewords to several of his books.[4]
20th century
In the first decade of the 20th century, several British writers lauded Japan. In 1904, for example, Beatrice Webb wrote that Japan was a "rising star of human self-control and enlightenment", praising the "innovating collectivism" of the Japanese, and the "uncanny" purposefulness and open-mindedness of its "enlightened professional elite." H. G. Wells similarly named the élite of his A Modern Utopia "samurai". In part this was a result of the decline of British industrial primacy, with Japan and Germany rising comparatively. Germany was seen as a threat close to hand, but Japan was seen as a potential ally. The British sought efficiency as the solution to issues of productivity, and after the publication of Alfred Stead's 1906 book Great Japan: A Study of National Efficiency, pundits in Britain looked to Japan for lessons. This interest however, ended with World War I.[5]
21st century
In the early 2000s, words meaning Japanophile have acquired more derogatory connotations. The term Wapanese (or Wannabe Japanese) first came out in 2002 as a racial slur used to describe a white person who is obsessed with Japanese culture, which includes manga, hentai and anime. The term Weeaboo, or Weeb later came from a comic strip created by Nicholas Gurewitch in which the term had no meaning other than it was unpleasant thing.[6] According to an unpublished MA thesis, 4-chan quickly picked up the word, and applied it in an abusive way to the already existing Wapanese term.[7] It is debatable whether Weeaboo has the same meaning as the Japanese term otaku (people with obsessive interests). In a blog post on Anime News Network, Justin Sevakis gives a difference between the two, saying that there is nothing wrong with loving Japanese culture. He points out that a person only becomes a weeabo when they start to be obnoxious, immature, and ignorant about the culture they love.[8]
See also
- Japanization
- Japanification: cultural assimilation into Japanese society
- Japonism
- Japanese studies
- Cool Japan
- Japan Expo
- Orientalism
- Sinophile
- Korean Wave
References
- ^ "Japanophile". Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster. 200. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
one who especially admires and likes Japan or Japanese ways
- ^ William R. Johnston (1999). William and Henry Walters, the Reticent Collectors. JHU Press. p. 76. ISBN 0-8018-6040-7.
- ^ Robin D. Gill (2004). Topsy-Turvy 1585. Paraverse Press. p. 25. ISBN 0-9742618-1-5.
- ^ Hale, Heather (September 1990). "Lafcadio Hearn". Japanfile, the Website of Kansai Time Out Magazine. Archived from the original on 2007-07-30.
- ^ Bruce Cumings (1999). "Archaeology, Descent, Emergence: American Mythology and East Asian Reality". Parallax Visions: Making Sense of American-East Asian Relations. Duke University Press. p. 25. ISBN 0-8223-2924-7.
- ^ Chris Kincaid (2015-08-30). "Am I a Weeaboo? What does Weeaboo Mean Anyway?". Japan Powered. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Davis, Jesse Christian. "Japanese animation in America and its fans" (PDF). Retrieved 12 December 2015.
- ^ Justin Sevakis (August 22, 2014). "Nobody Loves the Weeaboo". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 10, 2016.