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International Review of Humanities Studies

International Review of Humanities Studies

Abstract

Geisha are professional entertainers who have mastered Japanese traditional arts and often appear in various media covering Japanese culture. However, there are frequent misunderstandings about geisha outside Japan. The release of the Japanese-produced film Shogun has sparked discussions about older films from the west that are set in Japan, such as Memoirs of a Geisha. This study aims to analyze the representation of geisha in Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and how that representation is constructed and reinterpreted by Japanese and Western audiences through the social media platform X. Using textual analysis, this study examines the movie as a cultural text while interpreting social media user’s responses as a form of meaning negotiation. The primary data consist of the movie and X user posts from the United States and Japan between 2021 and 2026. The results indicate significant differences in how Japanese and Western audiences interpret geisha, as cultural background and proximity to the subject of representation greatly influence the movie’s interpretation.

Bahasa Abstract

Geisha adalah seniman penghibur profesional yang menguasai berbagai seni tradisional Jepang dan sering muncul dalam berbagai media yang mengangkat budaya Jepang. Namun, masih banyak kesalahpahaman mengenai geisha di luar Jepang. Dirilisnya serial Shōgun versi produksi Jepang telah memicu kembali diskusi mengenai film-film Barat bertema Jepang yang lebih lama, seperti Memoirs of a Geisha. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis representasi geisha dalam Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) serta bagaimana representasi tersebut dikonstruksi dan ditafsirkan ulang oleh audiens Jepang dan Barat melalui platform media sosial X. Dengan menggunakan analisis tekstual, penelitian ini mengkaji film tersebut sebagai sebuah teks budaya, sekaligus menafsirkan tanggapan pengguna media sosial sebagai bentuk negosiasi makna. Data utama penelitian ini terdiri atas film Memoirs of a Geisha dan unggahan pengguna X dari Amerika Serikat dan Jepang yang dipublikasikan dalam rentang tahun 2021 hingga 2026. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan adanya perbedaan yang signifikan dalam cara audiens Jepang dan Barat memaknai sosok geisha. Perbedaan tersebut dipengaruhi oleh latar belakang budaya serta tingkat kedekatan audiens dengan objek representasi, yang berperan besar dalam membentuk interpretasi mereka terhadap film tersebut.

References

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