The Gait as Political Choreography - Political School Ceremonies for the Consolidation of the Nation-State in Germany and Japan (1873-1945)

This book explores the entangled relationship between marching and political ceremonies in schools for the consolidation of the nation-state in Germany and Japan in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Through addressing the relationship between the individual marching body, gymnastics classes in schools, and political ceremonies in public spaces, this book aims to crystalize the ways in which the authorities choreographed the ideal gait, transmitted it to students and deployed it in political ceremonies.

By analyzing archived sources written in German and Japanese, Ami Kobayashi investigates the transnational character of the marching ceremony and the knowledge transfers behind it. She explores the process of nation-state building primarily in terms of cultural performance, arguing that the collective upright gait was a form of political choreography orchestrated by political authorities and performed by youth.

About the author

AmiKobayashi, Institution for Educational Foundations, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, and Institution for Modern Japanese Studies, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany.

Summary

This book explores the entangled relationship between marching and political ceremonies in schools for the consolidation of the nation-state in Germany and Japan in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Through addressing the relationship between the individual marching body, gymnastics classes in schools, and political ceremonies in public spaces, this book aims to crystalize the ways in which the authorities choreographed the ideal gait, transmitted it to students and deployed it in political ceremonies.

By analyzing archived sources written in German and Japanese, Ami Kobayashi investigates the transnational character of the marching ceremony and the knowledge transfers behind it. She explores the process of nation-state building primarily in terms of cultural performance, arguing that the collective upright gait was a form of political choreography orchestrated by political authorities and performed by youth.

Product details

• Authors: Ami Kobayashi
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.12.2024
• EAN: 9783111428857
• ISBN: 978-3-11-142885-7
• No. of pages: 242
• Weight: 489 g
• Series: Studies in the History of Education and Culture / Studien zur Bildungs- und Kulturgeschichte
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Kulturgeschichte, Bildung, Deutschland, Japan, Sozial- und Kulturgeschichte, Oral History, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, Education, Cultural History, Political Ideologies, Germany, Marsch, Social & cultural history, March, POL010000 POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory, HIS037030 HISTORY / Modern / General, HIS037070 HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century, HIS054000 HISTORY / Social History, Erste Hälfte 20. Jahrhundert (ca. 1900 bis ca. 1950), Zweite Hälfte 19. Jahrhundert (ca. 1850 bis ca. 1899)