Japanese Robot Culture
Performance, Imagination, and Modernity
Authors: Sone, Yuji
- Offers a unique interdisciplinary approach of the cultural reception of Japanese robotics through a theatre and performance studies perspective
- Addresses the growing field of ‘social robotics’ in Japan
- Analyses the performative relation between Japanese culture and robots
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- About this book
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Japanese Robot Culture examines social robots in Japan, those in public, domestic, and artistic contexts. Unlike other studies, this book sees the robot in relation to Japanese popular culture, and argues that the Japanese ‘affinity’ for robots is the outcome of a complex loop of representation and social expectation in the context of Japan’s continuing struggle with modernity. Considering Japanese robot culture from the critical perspectives afforded by theatre and performance studies, this book is concerned with representations of robots and their inclusion in social and cultural contexts, which science and engineering studies do not address. The robot as a performing object generates meaning in staged events and situations that make sense for its Japanese observers and participants. This book examines how specific modes of encounter with robots in carefully constructed mises en scène can trigger reflexive, culturally specific, and often ideologically-inflected responses.
- About the authors
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Dr Yuji Sone is a lecturer in the Department of Media, Music, Communication, and Cultural Studies at Macquarie University in Australia. He teaches theatre and performance studies courses with an emphasis on praxis in relation to cultural studies and media studies; he is also a performer and dramaturge.
- Reviews
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“As robots are predicted to replace human labour in many jobs in the future, this book forms a valuable function in its in-depth exploration of the complex relationships between ‘real’ humans and artificial humans. Japanese Robot Culture caters to the increasing scholarly interest in robot technology and performance, and is a substantial introduction to the field.” (David O’Donnell, Australasian Drama Studies, Vol. 70, 2017)
“Australian scholar Yuji Sone … attempts a cultural study of robots in Japan, specifically “performing robots” as opposed to robots as servants or functional machines. He takes readers through the history of Japan’s relationship with robots ... cutting to the heart of specific examples of “Japanese” robot culture. His book is welcome and timely, not least because robots will undoubtedly figure into the ways that Tokyo promotes itself to the world during the 2020 Olympics.” (William Andrews, The Japan Times, February 11, 2017)
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Bibliographic Information
- Bibliographic Information
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- Book Title
- Japanese Robot Culture
- Book Subtitle
- Performance, Imagination, and Modernity
- Authors
-
- Yuji Sone
- Copyright
- 2017
- Publisher
- Palgrave Macmillan US
- Copyright Holder
- The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)
- eBook ISBN
- 978-1-137-52527-7
- DOI
- 10.1057/978-1-137-52527-7
- Hardcover ISBN
- 978-1-137-53216-9
- Edition Number
- 1
- Number of Pages
- XIII, 265
- Number of Illustrations and Tables
- 4 b/w illustrations
- Topics
