多和田葉子の『かかとを失くして』に表れる 異邦人への差別的視線について

Abstract

This study analyzes social aspects and critical views of Yōko Tawada's Japanese debut work, Missing Heels, which was written in two languages, in German as a foreign language and in Japanese as her native language. I identified humorous expressions of cultural centrism, a belief that one's own culture is superior to others, and of the fact that minor cultural habits and differences could lead to misunderstandings. Furthermore, through the lens of white-centric feminism and its critiques, the author indirectly examines and introduces the feminist movement in third countries that became active since the 1980s. Lastly, I looked into the doubt cast on the relationship between education and class, which many of us take for granted as a result of public education at school. The analysis indicates that the work Missing Heels brings to light the issues of racism and class struggle, both of which continue to be a source of social conflict even 30 years after the work was published and that the issues are not only confined to a specific region but that the violence arising from discrimination affects human beings universally.