From situated selves to the self : conversion and personhood among Roman Catholics in Tokyo / Hisako Omori. [electronic resource]

Includes bibliographies and index.

"In many parts of the world, the Roman Catholic Church in the 21st century finds itself mired in scandals and its future prospects appear fairly dim in the eyes of many social critics. In From Situated Selves to the Self, Hisako Omori finds a radically different situation, with jubilant Roman Catholics in an unexpected place, Tokyo, Japan. Based on twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork, the author provides a culturally sensitive account of the transformative processes associated with becoming Catholic in Tokyo. Her ethnographically rich account reveals the ways in which Christianity as a cultural force can effect changes in one's personhood by juxtaposing two models of selves-one based on conventional Japanese social ideals and the other on Roman Catholic teachings. In Japan, one's sense of self is normally defined by social and familial relationships. The author encountered many women who strived hard to become wise mothers and good daughters-in-law. Omori suggests that this "relational" sense of self has been shaped through discursive processes in Japanese history which have emphasized a Neo-Confucian based system of ethics. When converts deepen their understanding of the Catholic worldview, they experience a new power structure in which human authority is significantly diminished. With this reconfiguration of authority figures, the relationship with the divine is awarded the most prominent position, giving rise to an integral sense of self for these Catholics. In this book, Omori takes readers to a living room ("ochanoma") in a parish, a Catholic bar in a nightclub area, Catholic charismatic meetings, and busy intersections in Tokyo. In so doing, she traces subtle, yet emerging changes in women's agentive power that accompany the processes of deepening faith. From Situated Selves to the Self gives us a rare glimpse into reflections of Christianity as a cultural force in an East Asian context where Confucianism has historically been a dominant ethical framework"--

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