Date of Award

Winter 2-1-2021

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Advisor(s)

Mariko Aratani, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Christopher Toulouse, Ph.D.

Abstract

Similar to the United States, other colonial nations such as Japan and the United Kingdom hold prejudicial pasts that have impacted their current social climates. In contrast to the U.S.’s long- time racial hostilities, Japan and Britain’s traditional institutions centered their nationalist campaigns with an anti-foreigner sentiment. The nationalist campaigns within Japan and Britain were prompted by their effort to re-establish their identities after the devastations of World War II. For Japan, conservatives prioritized the preservation of their cultural roots from foreign influence. For the United Kingdom, conservatives used imperial nostalgia to call for a revitalization of the height of their past. This ultra-nationalist rhetoric is one that unified their societies but also created a divide among those on the ‘outside’ from those on the ‘inside.’ Given Japan and the U.K.’s xenophobic attitudes in the name of national security, this thesis aims to tackle how these countries are responding to the wake of global movements that call out colonial pasts and its impact in present injustices. This thesis analyzes Japan and Britain’s imperial histories, the resurgence of ultra-nationalism post-world war, their systemic prejudices against immigrants, and its effect in their popular culture and media. Based on these discussions, this thesis argues that Japan is looking forward to a future of social inclusion, while Britain continues to look back at a past of social exclusion.

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