Abstract
ABSTRACT This article explores the interplay between the nation and media in times of national crisis. Through a critical textual analysis of the AC Japan’s public service announcements (PSAs), I argue that the PSAs in the early post-earthquake period reproduce nationalistic discourses of the Japanese that resembles the core tenets of nihonjinron (discourse of Japaneseness) by 1) reiterating the homogeneity of the Japanese people; 2) reinventing particular cultural practices as deep-rooted traditions; and 3) urging social unity and solidarity. Each theme is legitimized by various discursive strategies, which transform a seemingly descriptive model of behaviours into socially sanctioned hegemonic practices. This study shows that the careful deconstruction of media texts can provide media scholars with ample resources for investigating the formation of a peculiar social reality.
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