Keywords
Colonialism
Okinawa
Ryukyu languages
How to Cite
Abstract
Folk songs commonly express generalized feelings among those who create and perform them: sometimes they convey the spirit of celebrations and rituals, sometimes they articulate suffering and political resistance. Asadoya Yunta, from the Yaeyama islands (Okinawa), is an example of popular dissatisfaction with the colonizing undertakings conducted by Japan, particularly in the 19th century; but when it is translated into Japanese, the anti-colonialist theme disappears, giving way to a love song, harmless in its content. Thus, this paper seeks to demonstrate, through the case study of Asadoya Yunta, how the removal of contextual elements from creative texts serves a strategic purpose in asymmetrical power relations, emptying the text of meaning and depoliticizing its significance.
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Copyright (c) 2020 Gabriela Shimabuko
