Howdotheworldsthatstateadministratorsmanagebecomethefeelingspublicsembody?InAdministeringAffect,DanielWhiteaddressesthisquestionbydocumentingtheriseofanewnationalfigurehecalls“Pop-CultureJapan.“EmerginginthewakeofJapan’sdramaticeconomicdeclineintheearly1990s,Pop-CultureJapanreflectedthehopesofJapanesestatebureaucratsandpoliticalelitesseekingtorecovertheircountry’sstandingontheglobalstage.WhitearguesthatduetogrowingregionalcompetitivenessandgeopoliticaltensioninEastAsiainrecentdecades,Japan’sstatebureaucratsincreasinglytargetedpoliticalanxietyasanationalproblemandbuiltanewnationalimagebasedonpop-culturebrandingasaremedy.Basedonsixteenmonthsofethnographicfieldworkamongrarelyaccessiblegovernmentbureaucrats,AdministeringAffectexaminesthefascinatingconnectionbetweenstateadministrationandpublicsentiment.WhiteanalyzesvariouscreativepolicyfiguresofPop-CultureJapan,suchasanimediplomats,“CoolJapan“brandingcampaigns,andtheso-called“AmbassadorsofCute,“inordertoillustrateapowerfullinkbetweenpracticesofmanagingnationalcultureandthecirculationofanxietyamongJapanesepublics.Invokingtheterm“administeringaffect“toillustratehowanxietybecomesabureaucratictarget,technique,andunintendedconsequenceofpromotingJapan’snationalpopularculture,thebookpresentsanethnographicportraitoftheat-timessurprisinglyemotionallivesofJapan’sstatebureaucrats.Inexamininghowanxiousfeelingscometodrivepolicymaking,Whitedeliversanintimateanthropologicalanalysisoftheaffectiveforcesinterconnectingstategovernance,popularculture,andnationalidentity.
POP CALLED JAPAN AFFECT CULTUREJAPAN
