A Study on the Interaction Between Service Industry and Media Language with Gender

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K02032
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Gender
• Research Institution: Sophia University (2018); The University of Tokyo (2016-2017)
• Principal Investigator: Furukawa Gavin 上智大学, 外国語学部, 助教 (10773351)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 野澤 俊介 東京大学, 大学院情報学環・学際情報学府, 客員研究員 (50771325) ; 山下 里香 関東学院大学, 経済学部, 講師 (70774206) ; 宮崎 あゆみ お茶の水女子大学, 人間発達教育科学研究所, 研究協力員 (90750216)
• Research Collaborator: SUGIMORI Noriko (AKIMOTO Noriko)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: ジェンダー / メディア / 言語 / セクシュアリティ / 女装 / 若者 / アイデンティティ / LGBT

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research focuses on the relationship between gender, language, media and service labor utlizing the practices of young people doing josou or cross-dressing as the main focus. Our data sources included josou contests at Japanese universities, various media representations of those doing josou, and josou in service-related industries such as josou cafes where customers are waited on by young men in dresses. For young people participating in the practice of josou, we found that it had various meanings, functions, and consequences. While josou is a free expression of gender that critically and creatively reconstructs the normative gender and sexuality representations, it invites looks of unwanted curiosity and desire while commercializing and glorifying the consumption of gender and sexuality. This study revealed that practice of josou has multiple meanings in Japanese society and cannot be reduced to simple categorization through masculinity, femininity and sexual orientation.

Free Research Field

socioinguistics

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

言語実践の分析を通じて、現代日本社会のジェンダー・セクシュアリティにおけるダイバーシティの複雑性を明確化することで、ジェンダー・セクシュアリティ研究の理論的深化に貢献した。