ABSTRACT
The theoretical and methodological chapter of the book outlines the state-of-the art approaches to studying national identity of social constructivism and post-structuralism and intersects them to formulate a novel way of appraising the role of identity in politics. Constructivist approach highlights factors such as norms, perceptions, culture and language and believes that identity influences foreign policy. In case of Japan, constructivists have argued that the pacifist identity is a product of the postwar Constitution and norms related to it. Post-structuralists believe that identity is a product of Othering, distinguishing from Others. The chapter argues that an intersection of these two accounts, which connects domestic normative and narrative/discursive factors best explains identity formation, influence and change. Methodologically, the chapter presents narrative analysis as the key methodology for the study and defines the three most important components of narratives: setting, characterization and employment.
