|
 |
Top > Vol.11 -Dr. Olga Khomenko
 |
|
 |
 Name: Dr. Olga Khomenko |
|
Nationality:Ukraine |
|
|
|
|
| Affiliated research center/ school in Waseda |
School of International Liberal Studies (SILS) |
| Affiliated research institution at home country |
Faculty of Geography, Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University |
| Period of stay at Waseda |
From November 2006 to November 2008
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Subject of research
Role of gender, ethnicity and class in the history of consumer culture and advertising
About My background
 Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
The city of Kyiv |
I was born and raised in Kyiv (Kiev), the capital of Ukraine. In 1995 I
graduated from the Department of Japanese and Japanese Literature, Faculty
of Oriental Studies, Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. Ukraine
is a young state independent only since 1991, with a population of approximately
48 million, while 4 million of its population lives in Kyiv. My University
is also located there and it is one of the oldest and most famous in my
country. (photo 1) Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv The city
of Kyiv has a 15-century of history. During the 9-11 centuries Kyiv used
to be the capital of a medieval Kyiv Principality called the Kyiv Rus.
The city has a number of old churches surrounded by beautiful greenery
and UNESCO recognizes some of these churches as World Heritage Sites.
Kyiv is very beautiful European city, a great combination of vibrant and
dynamically growing economy and old history.
I have been interested in Japanese culture since my childhood. I always enjoyed reading books and drawing paintings. For a several years I attended special art school for children, where we were taught different subjects starting from basic drawing to the world art history. In one of those classes I saw a Japanese ink brush painting (sumie) and was fascinated how different it is from European tradition and manner of drawing. This inspired me to learn more about Japanese culture and read Japanese literature. I think Japanese literature helped me discover the uniqueness of Japanese esthetic sense. Then I thought that one day I would also learn the language. And this eventually happened when I entered university. There was a newly established Japanese language course in the Faculty of Oriental Studies and it offered a number of different languages. So, I began studying Japanese. In the early days of my studies, friends and relatives thought that my idea of studying such a difficult language has no future, because our countries, Ukraine and Japan are so far from each other, as well as it is generally considered difficult for Europeans to learn the Chinese characters. Many of them were telling me, “Since Japanese is very difficult to learn, you should not waste your time. Just give it up. Go learn something more practical”. However, I did not listen to them and I continued my studies; I dreamt of study in Japan in the future.
After graduating from university, I worked for a while as an interpreter,a university lecturer and then as a diplomat. In the meantime, I wanted to continue to graduate school. I took exam and, luckily, received a scholarship from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
(MEXT, former Ministry of Education). From the spring of 1998 I was admitted to study at the University of Tokyo as a research student. I was affiliated
with the Department of Area Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences from 1998 to 2004. I started as a research student and continued my studies in the Master and Doctoral program there. This was the time when I started my ongoing research on modern Japanese social history. My master thesis was called ‘Yukichi Fukuzawa’s doctrine of moral and learning,’ and was an examination of the political though of the early Meiji period in Japan.
Once I had sufficient understanding of Japanese social history, I wanted
to study a different period of Japanese history. Therefore, in my doctoral
dissertation I continued my research on Japanese postwar social changes.
I analyzed the process of Formation Japanese Women’s post-war identity
as seen through product advertisement’. Namely, my research looked into
the advertising of home electric appliances, cosmetics, cars and alcoholic
beverages in post-war women’s magazines such as Fujin Koron and Josei Jishin
and analyzed the relationship between the process of shaping up women’s
new identity and the influence of advertising in the 30-year period following
World War II. In the spring of 2005 I became a first Ukrainian woman to
receive a Doctoral degree from the University of Tokyo.
After graduating from the University of Tokyo, I returned to Kyiv. While teaching Theory and Practice of Advertising at the Faculty of Geography at my alma mater, I was active in a number of other areas, including working as a journalist for BBC World Service and PR consulting for the private sector. During my studies in Japan I was frequently asked about Ukraine and its culture, food, customs and traditions. That made me think how to tell about my home country in an easy and understandable way. I came up with the idea of translating modern Ukrainian novels into Japanese. In fact, I had been interested in translation all along my life and did some interpreting and translating a number of times, but literature was a big challenge for me.To me it seemed real pity that during the last 120 years Ukrainian literature was introduced to Japan very little.To me it seemed real pity that during the last 120 years Ukrainian literature was introduced to Japan very little. So I decided to translate some modern works bymyself. By introducing short novellas, I thought I could convey to Japanese people many things about Ukraine and Ukrainians, including the history, society and culture. Eventually, I completed a short book of translations of the works of 16 Ukrainian writers. All of them became serious writers after Ukraine got its independence and they represent a new era of my country’s history. The collection of short stories was published from Gunzosha Publishing House in the fall of 2005. I was very happy to finally see a picture of a Ukrainian book in Japanese bookstores.
The translation of 16 Ukrainian writers works
|
|
Research at Waseda University
I have known Professor Juliann Sivulka, who is now my research host in
Waseda University, from the seminar on advertising history in graduate
school of Tokyo University. She also was my informal adviser for my doctoral
dissertation project. Then, I hoped to be able one day to conduct a collaborative
research with her. Finally I was given just such an opportunity and she
accepted me for a collaborative research for Waseda’s School of International
Liberal Studies (SILS) in fall of 2006.
When I was writing my doctoral thesis, I focused on the period between
the end of WWII and the late 1970’s. For my research topic at Waseda, I
extended my research period further to the 1980’s and onward. My aim is
to analyze how images in different product advertising that appeared in
women’s magazines in the 1980’s helped to shape up new women’s identity,
and also analyze this in connection to the social circumstances which caused
these social changes, the role of marketing, and the ideological background
of this complicated process.
I have also extended my research field to examine theoretically and empirically the role of gender, ethnicity and class structure in the history of consumer culture and advertising. By collecting product-advertising materials from women’s magazines, which significantly increased in numbers during 1980’s, I am looking into the transformation of women’s images in the mass media, and what sort of economic and social conditions influenced these changes. I am particularly interested how three groups of images widely present in the postwar era media, the so called ‘happy homemaker image,’ the ‘kind mother image’ and the ‘single female office worker image’, transformed into various images of housewives and single women during 1970's, and then into an even larger number of images in the 80’s and 90’s. Especially during the 1990s, images split from “just housewife” and “just single women” in ‘Education-Minded Mothers,’ ‘Mrs. Cinderella,’ ‘Yen-Joy girls,’ ‘Part time Mrs.,’‘Rumba Obaasan’ In the first decade of the 21st century, these images evolved into ‘Charismatic homemaker,’ ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Yanderella,’ ‘Working Mom,’ and ‘Pabo’.
It is very important to see how the economical, ideological and social
changes that occurred in the Japanese society influenced these changes,
as well as how ads depictured a new future of a changing society. It is
also important to realize what was the role of material objects in process
of image evolution. Although my doctoral dissertation was about the relationship
between gender, consumerism and advertising in Japan during the prewar
and postwar eras, our joint research topic is the transitions in consumer
culture and advertising in comparison to the same processes in United States
and Europe. Issues such as gender, ethnicity and class have been examined
individually in various studies. In our research we focus on how people
react to advertising and how this triggers consumption in different countries.
I hope that a comprehensive research on such multilayered aspects from
the standpoint of consumer culture and advertising will give us a broader
view on this issue.
Collaborative Research 1
For this project in Waseda, I would like to examine the development of
consumer culture, the way women are targeted in advertising and the transition
of women’s images in women’s magazines advertising in Japan during the
period 1980 -2000 not only from a domestic perspective but also from a
global perspective. Consumption is a constantly changing field in modern
society. Advertising changes people’s lifestyles and consciousness at their
foundation regardless of the stage of development of each country. Through
the joint research with Prof. Juliann Sivulka, who is an expert on American
consumer culture, we expect to be able to demonstrate historical points
of similarity and difference in the consumer cultures of English speaking
countries and Japan, and perhaps other countries as well.
I have also been engaged in a project work comparing the development of the consumer cultures of the U.S.A. and in Japan; these are research topics Prof. Sivulka and I have pursued during my time at Waseda. For example, we compared how car advertising and sales strategies were targeted and aimed at upper class and middle class women via women’s magazines in U.S.A. in the 1910’s and in Japan in the 1950’s and 1960’s (we was looking at Ladies Home Journal and McCall in the U.S.A. and Fujin Koron and Josei Jishin in Japan). As a result, we found many similar patterns of how female were depictured in car ads, as well as in the way car sale strategies approached women. Even though the historical time lines are different, these were the periods in the US and Japan when the number of cars in average households dramatically increased, as well as the time for formation of a middle class for both countries. At the same time, during this time, consumers’ interest in new life styles and search for modernity was increasing dramatically as well.
Even though we discuss different time periods in different countries, it
is certain that in both cases women acted as objects that were sensitive
to new things and seeking new lifestyles. They became the “active agents
of modern life style” and a “global looking class” for a new and modern
life. They even played significant roles in introducing these new lifestyles
into their family’s daily life. Post-war Japanese women’s were affected
by “the rich American life-style” and had a strong desire to seek a better
life in a material sense. This desire for a “new, modern, better life style”
is understandable and the same phenomenon may occur in different countries
at different times under the same circumstances.
 
With Prof. Sivulka Product-advertising materials from women’s magazines
Collaborative Research 2
My other research topic covers the development of consumer culture in Japan.
I am conducting a joint research project, called ‘Social change and gendered
gift giving rituals: A historical analysis of Valentine’s Day in Japan,’
with Professor Yuko Minowa of Long Island University, U.S.A. and Professor
Russell W. Belk of York University, Canada. In our examination of the history
of St. Valentine’s Day in Japan, we are collecting and analyzing sales
promotions and advertising in various media for women published in the
past 50 years since WWII. The result was presented at the Conference of
Gender and Consumer Behavior in June 2008 in Boston, U.S.A.
While conducting my research at Waseda, I came to be recognized as an international
researcher and became a member of the Japan Academy of Advertising and
the Conference on Historical Analysis & Research in Marketing (CHARM).
I was given a number of opportunities to make presentations of the achievements
of my individual and joint research at international symposia, including
the renowned CHARM conference and an international conference of Art and
Humanities in Hawaii.Furthermore, I am very happy to had the chance to
get involved in collaboration with numerous Japanese and foreign researchers
from U.S.A., France, Denmark and other countries during my time at Waseda.
Through close collaboration and exchange of opinions with people in my
part of the campus, I found ideas for new directions of my future research.
This helped me feel really comfortable in Waseda and I wish to continue
my research and collaboration in the future.
Looking to the future
Currently I am examining history from the viewpoints of Japanese and American consumer culture and advertising, and also how this relates to recent phenomena in Russia and Ukraine. I am very interested in studying whether the birth of a consuming culture in Russia and Ukraine, a new states created in the post-Soviet era, is different from those of Japan and the U.S.A. Another question I am interested in is the existence of common points among those cultures. I would like to add Russian and Ukrainian viewpoints to my research to achieve a global perspective; that would enhance the significance of my attempt to characterize the economic and cultural trends in both advanced and developing countries in the 21st century and the emphasize Japan’s contribution to these trends. I hope my research will be successful.
Major Publications
・Khomenko Olga, “About Japanese-Ukrainian Dictionaries： History and short
analysis”, “Shodoznavstvo” (Ukrainian Academy of Science, Journal of Institute
of Far East), N.7-8, pp.205-211, Kiev, September, 1999
・Khomenko Olga “About translation of Taras Shevchenko poetry into Japanese
language”,Eastern Languages and Literatures Report”, Kiev State University
Journal, Vol. 2, pp.24-28, May, 1999
・Khomenko Olga “About history of Shevchenko research in Japan”,“ The World of the Orient”, pp85-91, September, 2001
・Shmyglo-Khomenko Olga『福沢諭吉における道徳形成論』、修士論文、東京大学総合文化研究所地域文化研究科、3月2001年
・オリガ・ホメンコ「戦後の商品広告における女性のアイデンティティー形成」、博士論文、東京大学総合文化研究所地域文化研究科、158頁、3月、2005年
・藤井悦子・オリガ・ホメンコ「ウクライナの新しい短編小説」、『郡・ロシア文化通信』、第22号、2頁、2003年7月３０日（日本語）
・藤井悦子・オリガ・ホメンコ編訳『現代ウクライナ短編集』、群像社、共同翻訳、269頁、11月、2005年
・Khomenko Olga, “A time for appearing of a new type of consumer. Japanese
case studies” New Marketing Magazine, June 2003
・Khomenko Olga, “About sail and advertising methods of new books in Japan、Books review, July, 2003
・Khomenko Olga, “About popularity of comics in Japan、Books review, September,
2003
・オリガ・ホメンコ「オレンジ革命後の六ヶ月間」、「郡・ロシア文化通信」、4頁、第26号、2005年8月10日
・オリガ・ホメンコ「戦後日本自動車大衆化と女性のアイデンティティー」、『思想史研究』、東京大学総合文化研究科内誌、平成19 年3月、 第7号 189－208頁
・オリガ・ホメンコ「戦後日本自動車大衆化と女性のアイデンティティ-」、『思想史研究』、東京大学総合文化研究科内誌、平成19 年3月、 第7号 189－208頁
・“Автомобілізація Японії і жіночий маркетинг: через призму реклами в японських
жіночих журналах (1958-1969) Olga Khomenko, PhD“The world of the Orient,
2007, 3
・“Реклама та формування жіночої ідентичності у Японії: через призму жіночих образів довоєнної та післявоєнної реклами побутової техніки“ Хоменко Ольга, PhD “The world of the Orient”, 2007, 4
・Olga A. Khomenko, PhD, Women’s, western cosmetics, advertising and shaping
of women’s identity in Japan during 1950s, “The world of the Orient”, 2008,
1
・オリガ・ホメンコ「戦後の商品広告と女性アイデンティティー形成（上）－「もの」と「幸せ」の関係」、『日経広告研究所報』2008年4月、15-21頁
・オリガ・ホメンコ「戦後の商品広告と女性アイデンティティー形成（下）－「もの」と「幸せ」の関係」、『日経広告研究所報』2008年５月
Conference presentations during the affiliation at Waseda University
・“Japanese Women and Advertising,” Tokyo Keizai University, Faculty of
Business Administration, Seminar for Graduate Students, 17 January 2007.
・“Advertisements and formation of Japanese Women’s Identity”, Waseda University,
School of International Liberal Studies, Faculty Seminar for Teachers,
24 January, 2007
・“Japanese Women and Home Appliance Advertising,” Gender and Consumer Culture, School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University, 7 May 2007.
・“From Happy Homemaker to Great Mother: The Formation of Women’s Identity
in PreWar and Postwar Japanese Advertising, 1931-1965.” Marketing History
at the Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA, 17-20 May
2007.
・“Japanese Women and Car Advertising,” Gender and Consumer Culture, School
of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University, 18 June 2007.
・“Japanese Car Industry: Women’s Identity and Magazine Advertising,” Academy of International of International Business, The Association of Japanese Business Studies (AJBS), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, 24-28 June 2007.
・“Japanese Automotive Strategy in Selling to Japanese Women, 1950-1995.”
Department of Oriental Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands,
22 October 2007. Invited Lecture.
・“Changing Identity of Japanese Women through Home Appliance Ads, 1936-1990,”
Japanese Academia of Advertisements, Kanto Branch, 27 October 2007, Tokyo.
Symposium.
・“An Advertising and Lifestyle Revolution in Ukrainian Society during an
Era of Globalization, 1991-2007,” SGRA Research Society, Tokyo, 17 November
2007. Symposium
・“Uspih, or the Image of Success: the Role of Advertising in Shaping Ukrainian
Lifestyles.” All Japanese Society of Ukranian Studies, Department of Arts
and Science, University of Tokyo, Komaba, 24 November 2007. Symposium.
・“From Passenger to Driver: Comparative Study of Advertising Automobiles to Women in America and Japan, 1910-1975,” Hawaii Conference of Humanities and Arts, Honolulu, 11-14 January 2008.
・「戦後日本における女性のアイデンティティ形成と商品広告」日本マーケティング史学会、2008年6月1日
・“Social Change and Gendered Gift Giving Rituals: A Historical Analysis
of Valentine’s Day in Japan”、9th Gender and Consumer Behavior Conference,
Boston, USA, June 2008
・「戦後日本人女性の自己実現：広告と現実の間」カルチャラル・タイフィンIN仙台、2008年6月28日
|
|
|
|
|
