OTHERNESS AND IDENTITY IN SHONEN MANGA

This thesis explored how Otherness was identified and interpreted by adult readers within the United Kingdom, through their engagement with shonen manga. Using semi-structured interviews of 40 participants, 21 males and 19 females, this study investigated how UK manga readers contemplated Otherness, when the concept was broken down into overarching themes of exclusion, dehumanization and Othered identity. This study examined how questions of Otherness led readers to consider manga in relation to their identities. The findings indicate UK readers consider Otherness in relation to struggles of identity recognition and value. The Other is interpellated by UK manga readers as either a threat to power hierarchies between the Self and the Other, or a means for the Self to reinforce such hierarchies. The findings further suggest that UK manga readers commonly consider themselves to be the Other by way of social rejection, devaluation and systematic disregard; they often perceive themselves as underdogs; their identification of Otherness themes and their propensity to identify with Othered characters largely depends on their lived experiences of Otherness. Furthermore, UK manga readers widely report manga to be an inspirational medium, the reading of which is empowering, boosts self-esteem, encourages readers to embrace Otherness, to resist conformity to social norms, and inspires a never-give-up attitude in their pursuit of recognition. Lastly, their engagement with manga beyond the textual level provides UK manga readers with a sense of belonging within a community of other Others.