Asia Institute - Theses
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ItemGekokujo: folklore, reformation and suppression in the Samurai era( 2018)Whilst the concept of gekokujo (low overcoming high) is well documented in the study of medieval Japan it has traditionally been confined to the militarism that characterized the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. This is not without reason as the phrase tends to appear more frequently in the historical record after the Onin War which began in 1467. The purpose of this thesis is essentially to expand these parameters and consider the role of gekokujo in Japanese society prior to this event, as well as to consider the various civil or literary contexts to which gekokujo may have applied. By utilizing a wide range of sources from folk stories to clan codes and shogunate case rulings this thesis examines gekokujo and its applications from the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate in 1192 to the conclusion of the Sengoku Period in the year 1600. The thesis has three main assertions: 1) Evidence of gekokujo as a thematic concept can be traced at least as far back as the emergent Japanese folklore of the 13th century. 2) Gekokujo may have civil as well as military manifestations. 3) The concept of gekokujo influenced civil, legislative and social systems. The manner by which the latter occurred was dependent upon time and region. Whereas under the Kamakura regime it could be argued that gekokujo played a role in mechanisms of meritocratic class mobility, the fear of gekokujo held by the ruling class during the political turbulence of the Sengoku Period appears to have contributed to the legislative restrictions implemented provincially by the independent daimyo in the 15th and 16th centuries. In utilizing a diversity of sources the thesis takes an expansive approach in an attempt to create a holistic blueprint of gekokujo’s social impact across a four hundred year period.
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ItemA Chinese legal journal in transition( 2005-11)In this thesis I examine the popular Chinese legal magazine Woodpecker, which has been published since 1981. Woodpecker combines crime and police fiction with factual accounts of current legal cases and issues. Woodpecker’s long history has meant that it has undergone a number of major changes. I argue that Woodpecker has made these changes in response to the increasingly competitive media market in China, but that at the same time it is also trying to maintain its traditional target audience. I argue further that these changes reflect the changing perceptions of law and rights in modern China. I begin by describing the political, economic and social context in which Woodpecker emerged. It began as a way of raising consciousness of the socialist legal and policing system as it developed during the reform period: at the same time, it reflected a wave of interest in culture and literature. Woodpecker started its life as a literary publication, but it has become less focused on fiction and more on factual articles aimed at the general public. The change to a bi-monthly publication at the start of 2004 exemplifies this. I argue that this transition has occurred both because of the changes in economic climate (where the Chinese media has expanded, and publications are expected to make profits), and because of the public’s decreasing interest in matters cultural. (For complete abstract open the document)