Imagining Japan: A Symposium
4-5 march 2005
Japanese Studies Centre
Monash University (Clayton Campus)
Building
54 (next to the bus loop)
Programme
The diffusion of Japanese popular culture
around the world (such as Astro Boy and PokeMon) and within certain regions
(such as the enthusiasm for Japanese TV dramas and music in East Asia) has lead
to increased interest in the images, imaginary, and imagining of contemporary
Japan. It is thus
timely to discuss and analyse the images and imagining that are emerging out of
Japan's popular culture. These phenomena are the focus of a two-day
symposium which will be held in collaboration with Osaka University's Centre of
Excellence's 21st century program: Japan as Image.
Highlights of the symposium are two workshops by the Osakan participants, one a
performance / demonstration by a practicing manga artist, and an installation /
performance about the creation of Japan images. Both workshops integrate
academic papers as well as performance.
Registration
fees:
Full: $10 for single day registration, $20 for
both days.
Student or other unwaged: $5 for single day registration, $10 for both
days.
(Registration
includes symposium abstracts and program, lunch on Saturday only, and morning
and afternoon teas.)
To register, please email to Japanese.Studies.Centre@arts.monash.edu.au
with IMAGINING JAPAN in the subject line.
Also telephone or fax: Tel 9905
2260 Fax 9905 3874
Further enquiries can be sent to Craig.Norris@arts.monash.edu.au
See also:
http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/jsc/jscseminar.html
Friday, 4 March
9.00-9.30 Registration
9.30-10.00 Welcome
(Professor Ross Mouer, Director Japanese Studies Centre
Comments on the Japan as Image
COE project (Professor Kimio Ito, Centre of Excellence, Osaka University
Opening the Symposium
(Associate Professor Alison Tokita, Manga Library)
10.00-11.10 Session 1: Background
for Understanding Popular Culture in Japan
Chair: Associate Professor Alison Tokita
“Sexuality and Violence in Japanese
popular culture; and war; putting the focus on Boys’ culture”
Professor Kimio Ito, Co-ordinator of the 21st
Century Osaka University COE project
(40 minutes for
Ito, 30 minutes for Manabe)
“The Decline of Rokyoku:
‘1960s’ as a significant point in the history of popular culture in Japan” Dr
Manabe Masayoshi, Faculty of Letters, Osaka University,
Core member of [<Japan> as
Image] project
11.10-11.30 Tea
11.30-13.00 Session 2: Manga Performance Workshop by Ms Sato Maki
“Performance and the Articulation of Manga: the Grammar of Manga”,
Commentary by Professor Satoshi Kinsui and Dr. Kazuma Yoshimura
Professor Kinsui Satoshi
(Co-ordinator of the 21st Century Osaka University COE project),
Language in contemporary Japanese manga
Professor Yoshimura Kazuma (Kyoto Seika University), The body
in contemporary Japanese manga
Ms Sato Maki (Manga
artist; student at Kyoto Seika University)
(The manga performance would be good in the morning
if we can have the auditorium, and then the Kyushu students would be able to
watch this instead of their manga activity.) I agree, it
would be easy enough to exchange those two panels if we can get the auditorium
that morning
13.00-14.00 Lunch (Participants will buy their own
lunch in one of the campus food outlets.)
14.00-15.30
Session
3 The Global Construction and
Consumption of Japan (as image) How about just
“The global construction and consumption of Japan” as the title and remove the
“image” reference which is a bit vague.
Chair: Audrey Yue (University of
Melbourne)
“The Imagined Worlds of
Australia’s Manga fans” Dr. Craig Norris (Japanese Studies Centre,
Monash Univeristy)
“The Otaku Sub culture in
America” Joshua Sarcewicz (Student, East Stroudsburg University [USA]) Yes, he IS
coming!
“Mobile Phones and Diversity in the Spread of Japanese ‘Cute Culture’ in
the Asia-Pacific” Larissa Hjorth (RMIT University and University of Melbourne)
14.00-15.30 (in the
Auditorium, Japanese Studies Centre)
15.30-16.00 Tea
16.00-17.30
Session 4 & 5: Responses to manga culture in
Australia: translators and dojinshi:
Manga translation workshop and Dojinshi workshop
in parallel
“An Introduction to the Workshop Concept” Mr. James Rampart (student, Monash University)
Plenary Feedback Session on the Translation Workshop Format: An
Invitation for Constructive Suggestions
Chair:
Associate Professor Alison Tokita
Working
as Dojinshi in the Overseas Production of Manga: Some Views from the Front Line
Kenny Chan (Monash University), Manga in
Singapore & Funky
Ninja Magic
Queeny Chan (Sydney) Adopting Manga:
From Hong Kong to America
Saturday, 5 March (The Auditorium)
Session 95: 9.30-11.00 Workshop/Installation: <Japan> as Image
Dr Omote Tomoyuki
(Researcher of the 21st Century Osaka University COE project), Exporting (or exported) Otaku
Dr Yamanaka Chie
(Researcher of the 21st Century Osaka University COE project), Centralized <Pop-Japan>
Mr Ito Yuu (RA of the
21st Century Osaka University COE project), Exported Japan – On Japan’s cultural policy
Ms Bauwens, Jessica (Researcher
of the 21st Century Osaka University COE project), Girls’ popular culture going its own
way; The diffusion of Japanese cute and Yaoi
Mr Renato Rivera
(Graduate student of Humanities, Osaka University), Japanese anime becoming mainstream – or is it?
11:00-11:30 Tea
11.30-13.00 Parallel sessions 6 & 7
& 7:
Session 66
Manga Culture, Japanese Art and Cinema
Chair:
“Imagining Gi-wafu: Gi-yofu
Kenchiku, Manga and Japanese Contemporary Art” Dr. Eiichi Tosaki (Japanese
Studies Centre, Monash University)
“The Hong Kong Connection: Wong Kar-Wai’s 2046
and Japanese as the Language of Desire” Dr Rio Otomo (MIALS, University of Melbourne)
“Technaural Violence in Chakushin
ari” Katy Stevens (La Trobe University)
Session 77
Hurdles in
Cross-Cultural Research on Popular Culture
(can
you suggest a better title?) How about the
tile: “New directions in
cross-cultural research on popular culture”, or “new challenges in cross-cultural research …”?
Chair:
“Fuyu no sonata: Japan’s new image of Korea” Associate Professor Alison Tokita (Monash
University)
“Knowing Japan Through Image and Reality: A Reading of Peter Carey’s Wrong
About Japan” Professor Ross Mouer
and Dr. Craig Norris (Monash University)
“The
Impact of Cultural Policy on the Avant Garde: The End of Angura System?”
Dr. Peter Eckersall (University of
Melbourne)
13.00-14.00 Lunch (supplied by the Japanese Studies
Centre)
14.00-15.30 Session 108: “Alternative Imaginings in Japanese popular culture”
Chair: How about Jon Hogg
“A Short History of ‘Hentai’” Dr. Mark McLelland (University of
Queensland)
Kirsty Boyle (University of
MelbourneArtist/independent scholar) Robot culture
(The following
two are unlikely to come, but if they do, this will become another parallel
session.)
Participation
unconfirmed:
“Ero, Guro and Nonsensu:
Twenty-First Century Images of Japan in Israeli Media and Popular Culture”
Michal Caliot-Bul
Francesco Jodice (Italian artist and
film-maker), Hikikomori
15.30-16.00 Tea
16.00-17.15 Session 119: Roundtable Discussion: Issues for Future
Research
Chair:
Dr Yoshimura Kazuma,
Professor Itou Kimio, Professor Kinsui Satoshi
Alison Tokita, Craig
Norris, Ross Mouer
17.15-17.30 Closing
18.00-21.00 Dinner