Yujin Yaguchi: Longing for a perfect Hawaiian body: performing hula in Tokyo

This presentation will analyze the cultural significance of hula in contemporary Japan. Today, the number of Japanese hula learners far exceeds the number of practitioners in Hawai'i. Is this popularity of hula in Japan another example of egregious appropriation and commodification of indigenous tradition by a late-capitalist society?

This presentation will focus on some of the "serious" hula learners in Japan and explore their understanding of the Hawaiian tradition. It argues that the appropriation/commodification of the indigenous tradition among the Japanese practitioners is accompanied by their desire to reify this Hawaiian tradition by elevating it to the realm of the "authentic" and "pure." The simulated authenticity and purity of the tradition enables the Japanese hula practitioners to gain a sense of deeper understanding of Hawaiian culture but, at the same time, they feel alienated from that culture because ultimately it is not possible for them to be "like Hawaiians." By enabling the Japanese performers to not only locate the authentic other but also perform such authenticity in Japan, hula satisfies their desire to "go native" while also creating a distance between themselves and the native body/mind.

Event Sponsor
International Cultural Studies, University of Tokyo

More Information
Kalawaia Moore, 944-7243, culture@hawaii.edu, http://www2.hawaii.edu/~culture

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