A semiotic comparison of performance culture in italian and japanese proverbs

Abstract This article explores the role of popular proverbs in the cultural transmission of performance- oriented values, through a comparative semiotic analysis of Italian and Japanese contexts. Drawing on cultural semiotics and critical theory, the study examines how proverbial discourse contributes to the formation of subjectivities aligned with the imperatives of sacrifice and conformity. In Italy, proverbs construct a moral economy of labor centered on merit, guilt, and civic duty. In Japan, they promote discretion, discipline, and social harmony. The analysis integrates selected qualitative interviews, highlighting how these cultural logics are internalized and reproduced in everyday speech. The findings suggest that proverbs function as silent pedagogies, shaping the conditions of subjectivation and legitimizing dominant labor ideologies. The article concludes by reflecting on the implications for labor policy and the need to deconstruct these cultural devices in order to foster alternative models of subjectivity and wellbeing.