Of possible interest to comics scholars interested in Japanese manga, etc. Please circulate widely!
Casey
---------------
International Communication Association Preconference 2016
Communicating with Cool Japan: New International Perspectives on Japanese Popular Culture
Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Location: Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
Sponsors: ERIC, Pop Comm, Waseda University
Keynote Speaker: Koichi Iwabuchi (Monash University)
More
children around the world recognize Mario than they do Mickey Mouse,
and Japanese popular culture, especially anime, manga, music, games,
television, film, and street fashion, is among the most distinct and
recognizable of any in the world. During a time of domestic economic
malaise, these products of these creative industries have become
increasingly important cultural exports. There is both intra-Asian
cultural flow (e.g. between Japan and Korea), as well as “counter-flow”
from East to West. Japan continues to be a subject of Orientalization,
yet at the same time, Japan is one of the most well-developed, wealthy
nations in its region, with its own history of colonialism.
This
year’s International Communication Association Annual Conference theme
is “Communicating with Power,” and it implies both speaking to the
powerful and speech that is powerful in and of itself. Both are salient
here because “Cool Japan” is a governmental catchphrase, and to a
postcolonial country like Japan, which has renounced the “hard” military
power of warmongering and violence, the “soft power” of cultural
diplomacy and the global recognition of its powerhouse popular culture
are especially important. What role should Japanese popular culture play
on the twenty-first century international stage? What sorts of power
are or ought to be vested in cultural producers? What can these media
tell us about ourselves—and others? And what sorts of empowerment does
Japanese popular culture make possible for consumers? We invite scholars
who would explore some of the answers to these questions—as well as
provide new ones—in order to better understand, ultimately, what it
means to communicate with Cool Japan.
Papers and panels on topics related to any area of Japanese popular culture will be considered, including but not limited to:
-production processes and/or cultural workers
-political economy (including the role of the state and markets)
-media/cultural content (e.g. of anime, manga, fashion, videogames, film, music, television, etc.)
-the Internet, social/online media, cellular phones, or other technology
-uses of Japanese popular culture
-globalization or diaspora
-cultural policy/diplomacy
-consumption or media effects
-identity and the self
-otaku and fandom
Submissions from graduate students and junior scholars are especially welcome.
How to Submit:
We will accept both individual abstract submissions and fully-constituted panel submissions (of 4-5 participants).
Individual paper submissions should include:
-Title, name and affiliation, and email address of author(s).
-Abstract of 150-200 words that discusses the problem, research, methods and relevance.
-Use Microsoft Office or PDF format.
Panel proposal submissions should include:
-Title of panel and 100-word rationale.
-Titles, names and affiliations, and email addresses of panelists.
-Abstracts of 150-200 words for each presentation that discusses the problem, research, methods and relevance.
-Use Microsoft Office or PDF format.
Send all submissions to
[log in to unmask]. Please write “Communicating with Cool Japan Preconference” in the subject line.
Submission deadline is January 31, 2016.
Notification of acceptance will occur sometime in mid-February.
Please contact Casey Brienza (
[log in to unmask]) or Anamik Saha (
[log in to unmask]) with any inquiries.
Website and updates:
icacooljapan.blogspot.com