Kizuna: Instrument of Inclusion/Exclusion

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  • 「絆」に内包される包摂性と排除性
  • 「 キズナ 」 ニ ナイホウ サレル ホウセツセイ ト ハイジョセイ

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Abstract

On March 11th, 2011, a large earthquake and tsunami devoured the northeastern region of Honshu, Japan. Day after day, the press reported the disaster, and all the people throughout Japan “actively” and/or “ passively” sympathized with the victims in their suffering. The whole country had to face the disaster as a catastrophe that happened commonly to all. Victim or non-victim, we had to band ourselves against it, and the press symbolically expressed the solidarity move as Kizuna, a ＇bond＇. In a certain community, this “bond”, Kizuna could paradoxically serve also as a motive to exclude those who did not engage in the network. We actually witnessed the strain of exclusion, at the time of the disaster. In this article, I will examine the notion of Kizuna. The word itself widely spread throughout Japan after the earthquake. Reference will be made to the historical and social background peculiar to this country. By analyzing certain cases, I will contrast the binary function of Kizuna: connection on one hand, and tie of obligation on the other. I will thus formulate the ambivalence of Kizuna as an instrument of inclusion and exclusion.

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