Why is Tsurumi’s argument about the importance of Japanese women’s labor power to nation-building an important intervention to week 1’s theorizations of nationalism? On the flip side, what experiences might focusing too much on this point occlude?
Although it may seem as if women accepted the stereotypes that tied them down to their domestic roles as wives and mothers in the home, women broke these ideals and started to work in urban areas outside of the house as active and useful members of society during the Meiji era. Anderson’s outlook states that a nation comprises of a imagined community of people, but this advance toward national conscience was not able to be fully enforced on the koojo factory women during the Meiji era. Tsurumi highlights how women were perceived as inexpensive sources of labor under the control of male heads and companies, rather than acknowledged as free, autonomous individuals who could dictate their own life choices. Many women who operated the textile factories did not define themselves as individuals who were working on behalf of the state because they associated their identity with their families back home who they wanted to please and bring honor to. Their sense of duty to the nation was lacking because most sacrificed their labor with the intent of solely maintaining the well-being of their family. Therefore, they never blamed their parents for forcing them to work. Female textile workers played an integral role in the survival and welfare of poor families because they felt obligated to support their household with the supplementary cash income that they earned from their occupations, which could then be used to pay rent and tax dues.
In theory, the new nation required reforms that ensured the Japanese people were equal and united under a central government. However, pressures that reinforced the subordination of women in factories reflects McClintock’s definition that a nation is shaped by inherent social and gender inequalities. The Meiji state promoted a hierarchal system imbedded with inequalities such that men were placed in a position of superiority, while women were beings of lower status. The harsh working conditions and unfair treatment imposed by institutionalized male power led to a multitude of abuses and struggles during their manufacturing jobs. In addition, since these women were often depicted as sexual objects, they were subject to harassment and bias, which prevented them from being seen eye to eye as men. The koojo belonged to a separate sphere of individuals who were less respected, which implies a gendered nation. However, they were not afraid to express resistance through strikes and their defiant voices in song verses, which established a sense of solidarity within this union of women workers who were fighting together against their victimizers. Their shared experiences allowed these factory women to be connected to the collective identity of koojo as a whole. As young women were recruited, often against their own will, to participate in binding contracts on cotton and silk mills as factory workers at low costs, it paved the way for rapid economic growth and prosperity. Therefore, female labor is a major factor that is attributed to an industrial boom in the markets of a nation that was striving to be a top imperialist and capitalist leader. However, the readily-available female labor was exploited by the interests of employers because women were paid low wages despite their high quality, rigorous production in these dangerous settings. Also, the state took advantage of women’s expertise in these tasks to gain wealth and profits.
If we focus too much the hardships of women during the rise of the nation, we dismiss the different perspectives and experiences of women who were actual factory workers. We must not take their anecdotes for granted because they broaden our understanding of the lives of the koojo from a different lens, as if we were in their shoes. Although scholars depicted women factory workers as oppressed figures in the textile industry, some workers have viewed themselves in a heroic light in the sense that they were proud to help their families escape poverty and to save the nation from an economic standpoint. The extensive network of female labor contributed to the flourishing of Meiji Japan because it was used as a valuable tool to ensure financial stability both on the local level of the family and on the national scale. Therefore, it is important to credit these skilled women for creating a strong foundation for the nation while they fulfill their roles as industrial workers. Once they recognize that their combined efforts propelled the nation’s economic success and prominence in the industrial world, this can build the mindset for nationalism. Therefore, the worth of women can be determined through their diligent labor to the state. It is important take into consideration the personal stories of the factory workers to get a first-hand account into how they saw their lives and the reality of their feelings toward their families and recruiters. Thus, women can be praised as benefactors to the nation rather than portrayed as helpless victims.
