An Anthropologist in Japan: Glmpses of Life in the Field (Paperback)

An Anthropologist in Japan: Glmpses of Life in the Field Book Description

"An Anthropologist in Japan" is a highly personal narrative which draws the reader into a fascinating cross-section of Japanese life. Joy Hendry tells the story of her nine-month period of fieldwork in a Japanese seaside town. She originally sets out on a study of politeness, but a host of unpredictable events--including a volcanic eruption, a suicide and her son's involvement with the family of a powerful local gangster--dramatically changes the direction of her research.
In vignettes that illuminate the education system, religious beliefs, politics, family and neighborhood in modern Japan, the book exemplifies the role of chance in anthropology and the way that moments of insight can be embedded in a mass of everyday activity. A brilliant example of reflexive anthropology in action, "An Anthropologist in Japan" demonstrates how ethnographic fieldwork can uniquely provide a deep understanding of linguistic and cultural difference.

About the Author :

Joy Hendry has contributed to An Anthropologist in Japan: Glmpses of Life in the Field as an author. Joy Hendry is Professor of Social Anthropology at Oxford Brookes University (UK). She is the author of many books, including "Wrapping Culture: Politeness, Presentation and Power in Japan and Other Societies".

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