Japanese Mothers and Obentos
af Whitney Davis

1. Structures of Power
1.1. Symbols of culture are ways people live their lives.
1.2. "Ideological State Apparatuses" is the term used to describe places that indoctrinate people into a particular world view through entertainment, education and information.
2. School, State and Subjectivity
2.1. If they are able to be obedient to their teachers, they are able to be obedient to the state.
2.2. The purpose of school is to shape children into their proper gender roles and the obentos are a part of this.
3. Nursery School and Ideological Appropriation of the Obento
3.1. Makes children comfortable.
3.2. Shows the commitment of their mothers.
3.3. There are no more obentos after first grade.
4. Children's school lunch boxes
4.1. precision, balance and aesthetic
4.2. take time and planning for mothers to prepare
4.2.1. The author interprets the preparation time as a form of ideological control over mothers by the state to produce proper citizens.