Building upon the theme "The Return of the Political to Cultural Studies," the 2012 University of California at Santa Barbara, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies - Japan Foundation Summer Institute will focus on the figure of minority communities in Japan, the social and political relationships within and among minority groups, and their engagement with Japanese society more broadly. After Japan was stripped of its multi-ethnic colonial holdings by defeat in WWII, the ascendant narrative of the postwar Japanese nation became one of ethnic homogeneity. In recent decades, this narrative has been challenged by the influx of new immigrant workers that highlight Japan's coming demographic crisis. Meanwhile, indigenous Okinawans and Ainu, and the occupationally marginalized Buraku trace their roots far beyond the emergence of the modern nation-state, asserting a long history of ethnic diversity in Japan. Against this backdrop, the Summer Institute will provide a critical opportunity to generate a deeper understanding of how difference has been imagined, perceived, and managed by the nation-state, varying political factions, and those who are labeled or self-identify as "minority" themselves. In particular, we look forward to taking up conceptual questions of ethnic identity, marginality, inclusion/exclusion, and the discourse of multiculturalism; topics such as immigration, citizenship, the military relationship with the United States, and social issues that resonate with ethnic minorities and indigenous groups; and explore the historical, social, and political relations with which these matters intersect in contemporary Japan.
This three-day Institute will bring a range of interdisciplinary perspectives from the social sciences and humanities into conversation. We are very pleased to feature keynote addresses from leading scholars of Japan, including Dr. Kelly Dietz (Ithaca College), Dr. Tessa Morris-Suzuki (Australian National University), and Dr. Jennifer Robertson (University of Michigan), and the 2012 Japan Foundation Visiting Professor, Dr. Yeonghae Jung (Otsuma Women's University). For graduate student participants, the Summer Institute presents a unique opportunity for extensive dialogue with peers from universities across the U.S. and a chance to build linkages with a diverse and dynamic cohort of researchers in Japan Studies.
Co-organizers:
Assistant Professor ann-elise lewallen and Japan Foundation Faculty Fellow Nathaniel M. Smith
UCSB Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies
The 2012 Summer Institute is made possible by the generous support of the Japan Foundation, the Koichi Takashima Endowment in Japanese Cultural Studies, the UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC), the College of Letters and Sciences at UCSB, and the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies (EALCS).
This three-day Institute will bring a range of interdisciplinary perspectives from the social sciences and humanities into conversation. We are very pleased to feature keynote addresses from leading scholars of Japan, including Dr. Kelly Dietz (Ithaca College), Dr. Tessa Morris-Suzuki (Australian National University), and Dr. Jennifer Robertson (University of Michigan), and the 2012 Japan Foundation Visiting Professor, Dr. Yeonghae Jung (Otsuma Women's University). For graduate student participants, the Summer Institute presents a unique opportunity for extensive dialogue with peers from universities across the U.S. and a chance to build linkages with a diverse and dynamic cohort of researchers in Japan Studies.
Co-organizers:
Assistant Professor ann-elise lewallen and Japan Foundation Faculty Fellow Nathaniel M. Smith
UCSB Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies
The 2012 Summer Institute is made possible by the generous support of the Japan Foundation, the Koichi Takashima Endowment in Japanese Cultural Studies, the UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC), the College of Letters and Sciences at UCSB, and the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies (EALCS).