The Work of Gender: Service, Performance and Fantasy in Contemporary Japan (Gendering Asia, 16)

This engaging volume brings new perspectives to the much-studied field of gender in Japan by focusing on the ways in which gender presentation is turned into a commodified experience. It highlights the deliberate work that goes into the creation of gendered forms of intimacy in a broad range of settings: among female fans of pornography, cross-dressing escorts, gay bar service staff, street musicians in Tokyo and transgender people in Kyoto. Engaging with theories of gender presentation, performance and emotional labour, the chapters pay careful attention to the lived realities of gender, showcasing the strength of ethnographic methods. They allow readers to understand not only how gender is constructed and commodified in contemporary Japan but also what fantasies feed this process. Mainly written by early-career scholars, the volume addresses questions of sexuality and gender that are of interest to scholars and students at all levels, whether in Japan-related fields or beyond.

Gitte Marianne Hansen is Senior Lecturer in Japanese studies at Newcastle University. Besides leading a project on the gendering of Murakami Haruki, more generally her work focuses on Japanese culture since 1980, especially issues related to gender and character construction.

Fabio Gygi lectures in anthropology with reference to Japan at SOAS, University of London. He is interested in the intersection of material culture and medical anthropology, with a particular focus on how gender shapes social and medical categories. Currently, he is working on a book on mortuary rites for dolls in Japan.