THE ITINERANT PUPPETEERS OF JAPAN: WHAT KIND OF PROJECTION OF THE IMAGINARY IS THERE IN THE PUPPET THEATRE?
THE ITINERANT PUPPETEERS OF JAPAN: WHAT KIND OF PROJECTION OF THE IMAGINARY IS THERE IN THE PUPPET THEATRE?

Summary/Abstract: To answer this question, let's examine some theories of anthropomorphism, channeling them as an introduction to anthropological studies on the puppet theatre, in particular the Japanese puppet theatre. Japanese puppets, known as “bunraku theater” were originally tools used in magic rituals not unlike the use of woo doo dolls. In a brief historical excursus involving the use of the human anthropomorphic figure, we examine its archaic origins as a religious idol, proceeding then to insert them into a typical and current animistic panorama of the Japanese archipelago.

• Details
• Contents