Reflections on the phenomenon of neo-japonism

Abstract

This article aims to present the phenomenon of Neojapanisme, which emerged at the end of the 20th century. In order to carry out the analysis, the apparent connections that are often established between this contemporary phenomenon and Japonisme, which emerged in the 19th century in Europe, must be taken into account. However, far from nurturing the discourse that tends to establish a link between the aesthetic imaginaries of the two phenomena, we consider that the focus should be placed precisely on the substantial differences that exist between Japonisme and neojaponisme. The aim is to dissociate the neo-Japanese phenomenon from the reductionist associations that are usually established with the nineteenth-century taste for “Japaneseness”, emphasizing its complexity and peculiarities. In this sense, this article aims to highlight the complexity that the use of the concept of “neojaponisme” brings with it, and to serve as a basis for future research on this topic.