Taming Oblivion: Aging Bodies and the Fear of Senility in Japan
E1008957
Taming Oblivion: Aging Bodies and the Fear of Senility in Japan is an anthropological study examining how contemporary Japanese society understands and responds to aging, dementia, and the cultural fears surrounding senility.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Taming Oblivion: Aging Bodies and the Fear of Senility in Japan canonical | 1 |
How this entity was disambiguated
This entity first appeared as the object of triple T12917490 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.
NED1
Entity disambiguation (via context triple)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: Taming Oblivion: Aging Bodies and the Fear of Senility in Japan Context triple: [John Traphagan, notableWork, Taming Oblivion: Aging Bodies and the Fear of Senility in Japan]
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A.
Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering: Japan in the Modern World
Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering: Japan in the Modern World is a collection of essays by historian John W. Dower that examines Japan’s modern history, memory, and postwar transformation in a global context.
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B.
Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II
Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II is a Pulitzer Prize–winning historical study that examines Japan’s political, social, and cultural transformation under Allied occupation after World War II.
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C.
Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory
Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory is a memoir-in-essays by filmmaker and actor Sarah Polley that explores trauma, memory, and healing through deeply personal reflections on her life and career.
-
D.
The Ends of Human Life
"The Ends of Human Life" is a bioethics book by Ezekiel Emanuel that examines philosophical, medical, and policy questions surrounding end-of-life decision-making and the definition of death.
-
E.
Rethinking Life and Death
Rethinking Life and Death is a philosophical book by ethicist Peter Singer that challenges traditional moral views on issues such as euthanasia, abortion, and the value of human life in light of modern medical technology.
- F. None of above. chosen
- G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.
NED2
Entity disambiguation (via description)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: Taming Oblivion: Aging Bodies and the Fear of Senility in Japan Target entity description: Taming Oblivion: Aging Bodies and the Fear of Senility in Japan is an anthropological study examining how contemporary Japanese society understands and responds to aging, dementia, and the cultural fears surrounding senility.
-
A.
Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering: Japan in the Modern World
Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering: Japan in the Modern World is a collection of essays by historian John W. Dower that examines Japan’s modern history, memory, and postwar transformation in a global context.
-
B.
Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II
Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II is a Pulitzer Prize–winning historical study that examines Japan’s political, social, and cultural transformation under Allied occupation after World War II.
-
C.
Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory
Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory is a memoir-in-essays by filmmaker and actor Sarah Polley that explores trauma, memory, and healing through deeply personal reflections on her life and career.
-
D.
The Ends of Human Life
"The Ends of Human Life" is a bioethics book by Ezekiel Emanuel that examines philosophical, medical, and policy questions surrounding end-of-life decision-making and the definition of death.
-
E.
Rethinking Life and Death
Rethinking Life and Death is a philosophical book by ethicist Peter Singer that challenges traditional moral views on issues such as euthanasia, abortion, and the value of human life in light of modern medical technology.
- F. None of above. chosen
Statements (44)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
anthropological study
ⓘ
book ⓘ |
| addresses |
changing family structures in Japan
ⓘ
fear of becoming a burden in old age ⓘ policy debates on aging and long-term care ⓘ public discourse on senility ⓘ social expectations of elder care in Japan ⓘ |
| author | Karen Nakamura ⓘ |
| contributesTo |
Japanese studies
ⓘ
anthropology of aging ⓘ studies of dementia and society ⓘ |
| countryOfFocus | Japan ⓘ |
| discipline | cultural anthropology ⓘ |
| examines |
community responses to cognitive decline
ⓘ
family caregiving practices in Japan ⓘ how memory loss is culturally interpreted in Japan ⓘ how personhood is defined in relation to dementia ⓘ moral discourses about aging in Japan ⓘ stigma surrounding dementia in Japan ⓘ the boundary between normal aging and pathology ⓘ the role of medical institutions in managing dementia ⓘ the role of welfare and care systems in Japan ⓘ |
| focusesOn |
aging bodies
ⓘ
contemporary Japanese society ⓘ cultural fears of senility ⓘ social responses to dementia ⓘ |
| genre | academic monograph ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| mainSubject |
aging
ⓘ
dementia ⓘ gerontology in Japan ⓘ senility ⓘ |
| publisher | Cornell University Press ⓘ |
| setIn |
early 21st century Japan
ⓘ
late 20th century Japan ⓘ |
| targetAudience |
researchers in gerontology and aging studies
ⓘ
scholars of anthropology ⓘ students of Japanese studies ⓘ |
| theoreticalApproach |
anthropology of the body
ⓘ
disability studies ⓘ medical anthropology ⓘ |
| usesMethod |
ethnographic fieldwork
ⓘ
interviews with elders and caregivers ⓘ participant observation ⓘ |
How these facts were elicited
The pipeline generated the facts above by prompting gpt-5.1 with this entity's name + description and the instruction below.
Instruction
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Input
Subject: Taming Oblivion: Aging Bodies and the Fear of Senility in Japan Description of subject: Taming Oblivion: Aging Bodies and the Fear of Senility in Japan is an anthropological study examining how contemporary Japanese society understands and responds to aging, dementia, and the cultural fears surrounding senility.
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.