Commercial connections: the affective labour of creating social atmosphere at maid cafes in the Akihabara neighbourhood of Tokyo, Japan
(2024) COSM40 20241Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
- Abstract
- The Aim of this thesis was to answer the research question “what are the actors that create an social atmosphere and how do these actors collectively form and maintain the affective atmosphere at maid cafes”. This was done by explaining the modern life in japan with muen shakai, and the collapse of the traditional family structure. This was then put in connection to an explanation of previous research on maid cafes. The data was collected through ethnographic research using participant observation. The data was collected from two maid cafes in the Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan. data was also collected from Instagram posts from the maids and the cafes. The theoretical framework was Affect, affective labour and atmosphere. In the analysis it was... (More)
- The Aim of this thesis was to answer the research question “what are the actors that create an social atmosphere and how do these actors collectively form and maintain the affective atmosphere at maid cafes”. This was done by explaining the modern life in japan with muen shakai, and the collapse of the traditional family structure. This was then put in connection to an explanation of previous research on maid cafes. The data was collected through ethnographic research using participant observation. The data was collected from two maid cafes in the Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan. data was also collected from Instagram posts from the maids and the cafes. The theoretical framework was Affect, affective labour and atmosphere. In the analysis it was determined that the actors who played a main role in creating atmosphere were Maids, consumer goods, and space. These were able to create a social atmosphere by interconnectedly interacting and affective the body of the guest. The maids through conversations and rituals, the items by engaging the maids to give affective response or the guests. And the space by being used to contain the atmosphere within the space allowing the maid cafe’s atmosphere to uninterruptedly affect the guests. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9175874
- author
- Braun, Oliver
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- COSM40 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Maid cafe’s, Affect, Affective labour, atmosphere, Japan, ethnography, participant observation, auto- ethnographic
- language
- English
- id
- 9175874
- date added to LUP
- 2024-10-02 14:59:08
- date last changed
- 2024-10-02 14:59:08
@misc{9175874, abstract = {{The Aim of this thesis was to answer the research question “what are the actors that create an social atmosphere and how do these actors collectively form and maintain the affective atmosphere at maid cafes”. This was done by explaining the modern life in japan with muen shakai, and the collapse of the traditional family structure. This was then put in connection to an explanation of previous research on maid cafes. The data was collected through ethnographic research using participant observation. The data was collected from two maid cafes in the Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan. data was also collected from Instagram posts from the maids and the cafes. The theoretical framework was Affect, affective labour and atmosphere. In the analysis it was determined that the actors who played a main role in creating atmosphere were Maids, consumer goods, and space. These were able to create a social atmosphere by interconnectedly interacting and affective the body of the guest. The maids through conversations and rituals, the items by engaging the maids to give affective response or the guests. And the space by being used to contain the atmosphere within the space allowing the maid cafe’s atmosphere to uninterruptedly affect the guests.}}, author = {{Braun, Oliver}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, title = {{Commercial connections: the affective labour of creating social atmosphere at maid cafes in the Akihabara neighbourhood of Tokyo, Japan}}, year = {{2024}}, }