Japanese Mothers and Obentos
Anne Allison
Obentos
“Both the child and the mother are being watched, judged and, constructed; and it is only though their joint effort that the goal can be accomplished.”
Two structures of Power:
Obentos can be a cause of stress in mother and child. Why perhaps?
1.) there is a standard for obento making
2.) the preparer has the responsibility to meet those standards
Education:
Obento Standards:
Gender:
Men are restricted to working outside of the home
Women are restricted to the labors of the house (or low paying jobs)
“Motherhood is state ideology, working through children at home and at school as obento.”
Example of "breaking free":
As a product of being raised on simple bentos (one that was not caught up in the ideology) Sawa has been able to break free and become independent.
Anne Allison
Obentos
- packed lunches for children
- decorative, nutritious
- help define a good mother
- outlet of pleasure and creativity for both mother and child
“Both the child and the mother are being watched, judged and, constructed; and it is only though their joint effort that the goal can be accomplished.”
Two structures of Power:
- Repressive State Apparatus (SA) - power through force
- Ideological State Apparatus (ISA) - intention other than political power (health or media etc...) accepted and practiced and therefore enforced
Obentos can be a cause of stress in mother and child. Why perhaps?
1.) there is a standard for obento making
2.) the preparer has the responsibility to meet those standards
Education:
- Example of social order and gender roles in Japan
- Education is what initiates ideological state apparatus in Japan (beginning in nursery school)
- knowledge and ideology become one
- education defines a student as they become adults in society
- divide between soto and uchi - traumatic to attend nursey school (eased in with obento)
- also obento is a model for the child (good mother, therefore good child)
- child’s success is sometimes judged more one routine (social order is taught in nursery school)
- obento is “instutionalized” because of schools, enforcing housewife role
Obento Standards:
- variety, beauty, healthy, easy to eat, “disguising food”/food transformation, capturing/containing nature
- it is hard work because you are a committed good mother willing to do that/only way of expression
Gender:
Men are restricted to working outside of the home
Women are restricted to the labors of the house (or low paying jobs)
“Motherhood is state ideology, working through children at home and at school as obento.”
Example of "breaking free":
As a product of being raised on simple bentos (one that was not caught up in the ideology) Sawa has been able to break free and become independent.
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