University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Self and the Gift in Japan: A Cognitive View of Ritualized Gift Exchange in Contemporary Western Japan

Yamamoto, Yuji

This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/85337

Description

Title
The Self and the Gift in Japan: A Cognitive View of Ritualized Gift Exchange in Contemporary Western Japan
Author(s)
Yamamoto, Yuji
Issue Date
2000
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Lehman, Frederic K.
Department of Study
Anthropology
Discipline
Anthropology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Sociology, General
Language
eng
Abstract
"Oseibo exchanges provide a site to explore the relationship between the self and others in contemporary Japanese society. The role of the giver or the recever of a gift is composed of a set of obligations/rights between the self and others. However, when the individual attempts to do his/her role performance for others, he/she always has to recognize the deficiency of the exact prescription of his/her role obligations (""cognitive ambiguity"" of role or of role obligation). It is in this process of role performance that the individual is willing to express his/her ""individuality"" in the way of his/her role performance. Through these efforts to express individuality in terms of the ways of accomplishing a role performance, the individual can establish others' ""positive evaluation"" for his/her ""individual-likeness"". Hence, by attempting to see the process of the actual performance of an oseibo presentation, we will be able to find out the giver's expressions of his/her ""individuality"" in the way of his/her gift giving."
Graduation Semester
2000
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/85337

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses - Anthropology