 |
 |
Dear PACSF subscribers, Hi. I'm Kaori, and I'm the'pacific-asia-cultural-studies' list owner. This basically means that I help you with any technical problems you might encounter in receiving or sending messages to 'pacific-asia-cultural-studies'. I am also here to facilitate, or, in this case, start up cyberspace discussions. So, here's what I suggest: 1. Firstly, could I suggest that subscribers introduce themselves? (In my case, I'm a final year (?) PhD student at Goldsmiths College, Sociology Department. I'm looking at Japanese modernisation between 1868-1907, using Foucault's and other recent works on western modernisation as comparative material to assess how Japanese modernisation was different from the modernising processes of the West. I am also interested in gender. In fact, I first embarked on my PhD with the idea that I was going to be looking at the constitution of 'modern' Japanese masculinity. Somewhere along the line, that theme kind of receded, and I've come to focus more on the constitution of Japanese national identity. However, I'd very much like to return to or, actually, reach the point where I'm focusing on gender. I've also been more or less invoved in PACSF from the beginning - at first as a conference participant, and then as a member of the organising committee.) 2. Secondly, I hope that most of you are aware of PACSF's three year history? (I believe I wrote a short statement which you should all have received when you first subscribed.) Well, PACSF is still very much alive and kicking. It looks like we'll be having three mini-conferences this year. Although plans are not finalised yet, it is likely that we'll be inviting Homi K. Bhabha, Trinh T. Minh-ha, and Asada Akira as guest speakers. However, there's alot that needs to be sorted out yet, beginning with deciding on this year's theme. I'd like to ask all of you to voice any wishes or opinions as to what this year's theme should be. For example, the theme for 1997 was exlemplified by the conference title, 'Globalising Cultural Studies?' The aim was to ask whether or not researchers working on Pacific-Asian issues could fruitfully engage with British Cultural Studies, and if so, how, and did this attest to some kind of globalising process? The theme for 1998 was 'Dislocating the West and the Rest', and this indicates that PACSF took on board a more post-colonial theme and began to engage with post-colonial writings. I guess 'coming up with a theme' might sound a bit too abstract? Perhaps it would be better if I could ask everyone to simply say what issues you would personally want to raise with Homi K. Bhabha, Trinh T. Minh-ha, and Asada Akira if you could (and you can) choose? (For those of you who were involved in organising the previous PACSF conferences, perhaps you'd like to use this platform to reflect on what the conference(s) meant for you and what themes or issues arose precisely from participating - they can be used and incorporated in future themes that PACSF might decide to pursue.) Looking forward to hearing from you all! Kaori Tsurumoto Sociology Department Goldsmiths College University of London [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask]