‘Geist’ in the Shell: The Erasure of Japanese Identity in select Hollywood Films

Abstract

Hollywood Cinema forms the core of American soft power. It is the expression of America’s political, ideological, and cultural aims. It is also a medium of propagation of the ideas of American Orientalism which shaped the perception of Eastern culture and identity. This paper discusses the myriad elements of American Orientalist ideas about Japan in Hollywood Cinema, and the various techniques used to erase Japanese representation, particularly in the movie, ‘Ghost in the Shell’.