Recollections of Who We Were: Nostalgic Retrospective Perceptions of Japanese Society Following a Visit to a Shōwa‐era Museum

Abstract

Understanding visitors' retrospective perceptions in museums as they connect objects with their personal identities and life stories, as well as their collective social identities, is of considerable interest to the museum field. This study employed a multiple case narrative methodology to understand the common perceptual themes of post‐World War II Japanese society between 1955 and 1970 (Shōwa 30–45) held by older Japanese adults following their visit to a Shōwa‐era social history museum. From an inductive analysis of n = 29 face‐to‐face interviews, five sustaining characteristic themes emerged which were later interpreted through the historical backdrop of the period together with Carstensen's socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) to provide deeper interpretation of the themes. Through their museum experiences, the visitors recalled a society characterized by; (1) close human relationships; (2) strong values and morals; (3) freedom, openness, and peace; (4) struggles and poverty, which could be overcome with patient effort; and, (5) hopes and dreams. These themes were key to the visitors' own identity and values – both personal and collective. This study contributes to a broader understanding of the power of museum experiences to evoke strong nostalgic recollections by Japanese citizens of their unique personal and collective identities, and the characteristics their retrospective memories from the perspective of the present day vantage point. It speaks to the power of the museum, not as a learning or knowledge acquisition experience, but rather in its power to affirm both personal and collective identity and the values that were retrospectively important for these visitors looking back.

Generational Differences Between Younger and Older Japanese Adults in Perceptions of Society From Retrospective, Current, and Future Time Perspectives

“…In addition to SST as an interpretive perspective, it may also be reasonable to consider that nostalgia is an important vehicle for maintaining or restoring a sense of self-identity (Cavanaugh, 1989;Mills & Coleman, 1994) in the present. In keeping with this view, these older adults' nostalgic perceptions of the past may play an important role vital to self-identity in an attempt to maintain and confirm their identity in a vastly different present and an uncertain future (Anderson, Shimizu, & Iwasaki, 2021;McAdams, 2001).…”

“…Development of the questionnaire used in this study commenced following the earlier completion of a multiple narrative case study that qualitatively investigated perceptions about Japanese society during the vibrant post World War II period of 1955-1970, known as Shōwa 30-45 society. In that previous study, 30 Japanese older adults, with an average age of 60 years, who were casual visitors to Shōwa-era museums (Anderson et al, 2017;Anderson, Shimizu, & Iwasaki, 2021) were interviewed following their museum visits to gain a descriptive understanding of the perceptions and memories of the Shōwa 30-45 society held by this older demographic. Experientially, the museums portrayed scenes, objects, and experiences from Japanese society and everyday life of the prosperous postwar recovery period of 1955-1970 which served as a catalyst to stimulate nostalgic memories of the period from the present-day perspective.…”