TTLV: The Body and National Identity in Tanizaki Junichiro's "Foolish Love" and "General Shigemoto's Mother"

MASTER'S THESIS INFORMATION

1. Student's full name: NGUYEN THI MINH THUY 2. Gender: Female

3. Date of birth: January 20, 1994

4. Place of birth: Hanoi

5. Decision on recognition of students No. 2279/2022/QD-XHNV dated August 22, 2022 of the President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

6. Changes in the training process: Extension of training period according to Decision No. 3845/QD-XHNV dated August 1, 2024 and Decision No. 940/QD-XHNV dated February 17, 2025.

7. Thesis topic name:The Body and National Identity in Tanizaki Junichiro's "Foolish Love" and "General Shigemoto's Mother"

8. Major: Foreign Literature; Code: 8229030.03

9. Scientific advisor: Dr. Nguyen Phuong Lien, University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

10. Summary of thesis results:

- Theoretically, the thesis points out the role of the body in the construction of national identity, showing that the process of building a body model representing the nation will not simply exploit the intrinsic value of that nation but will always be in dialogue with "others", other nations. In addition, the thesis shows the need to consider the inter-layered nature (especially the intersection with issues of race and gender) in studies on the body and national identity.

- Through examining the relationship between the image of the national body and the issue of race in two works by Tanizaki Junichiro, the thesis points out the signs of physical inferiority complex of the Japanese in the first half of the 20th century when facing Westerners who were considered superior in terms of beauty in skin color, height, body shape, etc. Along with that, it clarifies the strategy of building a model of Japanese body beauty based on the foundation of traditional aesthetics to eliminate inferiority complex, creating equality between Japan and the West.

- Through examining the relationship between the national body image and gender issues, the thesis points out the correlation between the binary pairs: West - East, masculinity - femininity, showing that with his cultural nationalist vision, Tanizaki Junichiro, although still expressing a clear distinction between the different roles of men and women in the national project, has also somewhat overcome the rigid binary, exploiting the deviant masculinities and femininity that make up the uniqueness of Japanese identity in the context of East - West exchange.

11. Practical applicability: The thesis can be used as a reference for studies on the body and national identity in literature, on the works of Tanizaki Junichiro in particular and modern Japanese literature in general.

12. Further research directions: The topic can be expanded to examine other aspects of Tanizaki Junichiro's entire work that this thesis has not mentioned or has not mentioned in depth, such as imaginary geography, the relationship between queer and traditional art, etc. In addition, Tanizaki's innovative translations, such as the translationGenji monogatari, can also yield interesting findings when viewed under translation theory.

13. Published works related to the thesis: None.

INFORMATION ON MASTER'S THESIS

1. Full name: NGUYEN THI MINH THUY 2. Sex: Female

3. Date of birth: January 20, 1994 4. Place of birth: Hanoi

5. Admission decision number: 2279/2022/QD-XHNV Dated August 22, 2022

6. Changes in academic process: Extension of training period according to Decision No. 3845/QD-XHNV dated August 1, 2024 and Decision No. 940/QD-XHNV dated February 17, 2025.

7. Official thesis title: The body and national identity in "Naomi" and "Captain Shigemoto's mother" by Tanizaki Junichiro.

8. Major: Foreign Literature 9. Code: 8229030.03

10. Supervisors: PhD Nguyen Phuong Lien - University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU Hanoi

11. Summary of the findings of the thesis:

- Theoretically, the thesis elucidates the role of the body in the construction of national identity, demonstrating that the process of building a bodily model representative of a nation does not merely draw upon that nation's intrinsic values, but is always situated within a dialogue with 'the Others', with other nations. Furthermore, the thesis underscores the necessity of incorporating an intersectional perspective (especially the intersections with race and gender) into studies of the body and national identity.

- Through an examination of the relationship between the image of the national body and the issue of race in two works by Tanizaki Junichiro, this thesis reveals the manifestations of physical inferiority complex among the Japanese in the first half of the twentieth century when confronted with Westerners, who were perceived as superior in skin color, height, body shape, and other aspects of beauty. At the same time, it elucidates the strategy of constructing an ideal of Japanese bodily beauty grounded in traditional aesthetics, aiming at dispelling this sense of inferiority and establishing an equal footing between Japan and the West.

- Through an examination of the relationship between the image of the national body and the issue of gender, this thesis identifies the correlations between such binary oppositions as West–East and masculinity–femininity. It shows that, from his vision of cultural nationalism, Tanizaki Junichiro, while still delineating rather clearly the distinct roles of men and women within the national project, nevertheless to some extent transcends rigid binaries by engaging with non-normative masculinities and femininities, which contributes to the uniqueness of Japanese identity in the context of East–West encounters.

12. Practical applicability, if any: This thesis may serve as a reference for studies on the body and national identity in literature, particularly in relation to the works of Tanizaki Junichiro, and more broadly, to modern Japanese literature.

13. Further research directions, if any: The topic may be further extended to explore other aspects of Tanizaki Junichiro's oeuvre that this thesis has not addressed or has only touched upon briefly, such as imagined geographies, relationship between queerness and traditional arts. In addition, Tanizaki's unconventional translations, such as his rendition ofGenji monogatari, may also yield intriguing insights when examined through the lens of translation theory.

14. Thesis-related publications: None.