Retrospections of u:japan lectures

29.06.2021

Season 2 | Spring 2021

Looking back at the second season of u:japan lectures, we want to thank all speakers and guests for their effort, enthusiasm and most of all their generosity to share their knowledge with us.

We heard about gender and fascism in Manchuria, love in times of COVID, robotic agency in elderly care, dōjinshi culture, local governance in Okinawa, the packaging revolution of postwar japan, Japanese literature in Brazil and how science was used to govern the pre- and post-war population. We also learned about recent findings regarding the connection of values and well-being, private and public actors in Kyoto’s townscape councils, Zen Buddhism in prewar Japan as an enabling mechanism for terrorist acts, the role of “traditional” crafts in revitalizing rural areas and finally how everyday practices of waste sorting and disposal actualize the social order in Japan.

While nearly all lectures took place virtually and attracted visitors from different institutions and continents, our last lecture in season two was a special occasion which, due to low COVID case numbers and strict safety precautions, had happened in a hybrid format with live and international online audience. For those of you who missed a lecture or want to re-watch it, visit our recorded lectures section https://japanologie.univie.ac.at/ujapanlectures/records/.

And for those who are more future-oriented – rest assured – the third season of the u:japan lectures will start after a hiatus in fall (presumably 14th of October 2021 in a hybrid format), again consisting of distinguished scholars deliv-ering lectures about crucial subjects in Japanese studies. For more information visit https://japanologie.univie.ac.at/ujapanlectures.

See you soon in season three,
meanwhile enjoy the summer
and maybe some recorded lectures,
your u:japan lecture team