What does "cute" reveal about Japanese culture, identity, and the ways people express themselves through art and fashion?
Kawaii-ology: Constructing Japanese Cute Aesthetics and Identity through Ukiyo-e, Manga, and Harajuku Fashion by Yuniya Kawamura explores kawaii not simply as a style or aesthetic, but as a cultural concept and social practice that has shaped Japanese identities across generations.
Tracing the roots of kawaii from Edo-period ukiyo-e and sumi-e to modern manga, anime, and globally recognized characters such as Hello Kitty, the book challenges the assumption that Japanese cute culture is purely a twentieth-century phenomenon. Kawamura reveals how visual representations of youth, femininity, and cuteness have evolved while continuing to influence ideals of identity and self-expression.
The book also examines Harajuku subcultures such as Lolita and Decora, showing how young people use clothing, styling, and visual aesthetics to construct distinctive identities and communities. These styles have extended far beyond Japan through global and digital networks, connecting like-minded individuals and enabling new forms of cultural and subcultural belonging.
Drawing on fashion sociology, Japanese visual culture, and the history of popular culture, Kawaii-ology offers a fresh interpretation of one of Japan's most influential cultural exports. Ideal for students and scholars of Japanese and East Asian studies, fashion studies, sociology, cultural studies, youth and subculture studies, and popular culture, as well as readers interested in manga, anime, Harajuku fashion, and Japanese aesthetics.