Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Harvey, David

Area of Concentration

History

Abstract

This thesis explores Miyazaki Hayao’s developments in formulating and expressing his ideological stance on the modern human condition. Miyazaki provides critical commentary on the social, cultural, and environmental conditions of the modernized world while simultaneously reassuring his audience of the potential to change negative aspects of modern developments through his inspiring films for Studio Ghibli. All of Miyazaki’s films draw inspiration from the animator’s own life experiences growing up during the Pacific War from 1941 and the succeeding decades with support from a variety of cultural sentiments prevalent in modern Japanese society. He effectively visualizes his opinions on anxieties arising from modernization to showcase what he believes are the beneficial and obstructive changes in the modern world. By examining Miyazaki’s expressions of these insights in his films as well as the overall reception of his films in the Japanese and Western context, I will map the trajectory of a culture which is in a constant state of flux.

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