UCLA Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies

07/28/2020

CALL FOR PAPERS!
UCLA Terasaki Center Graduate Student Conference

Aftermath: Critical Approaches to Temporality, Memory, and Subjectivity in Japan

This conference seeks to explore the idea of “aftermath” and its ontological implications across Japanese history and culture. Aftermath is not simply what follows an event, but rather constitutes a potentially generative instant of both rupture and continuity. The aftermath of events can be thought of as representative of a temporal slippage or moment of anachronism, in which a newly Janus-faced present reorients itself toward both the past and the future. Indeed, the creation of new memories and presentiments, as well as their intertwining, begets new socio-political subjectivities and reconfigures lived experiences. The form that aftermaths take is never, however, predetermined: the aftermath of events is marked by uncertainty and ruled by contingency. As such, aftermath is perhaps best thought of as not simply what did happen but what could have happened or should have happened; in other words, aftermath is not an element of causality but rather a complexity of possibilities, losses, and formations.

We are interested in projects that creatively apply such an approach to a variety of aftermaths across time. The ramifications of an event can manifest in a variety of ways, including legally, scientifically or medically, religiously, artistically, and affectively, while the traces of aftermath are evident in a variety of loci, such as place, social organization, population, and narrative. Some catalyzing events could include, but are not limited to, natural and man-made disaster, pandemic, cultural reform, economic collapse, war, empire, and revolution and could take place in pre-modern or modern times, on a collective or individual level.

We welcome applications from various disciplinary backgrounds, including history, anthropology, philosophy, literary and cultural studies, political science, environmental studies, cinema and media studies, gender studies, and more. This year’s conference will take place entirely online, with participants pre-circulating their papers for discussion. Please send inquiries and applications, including a short bio and abstract of no more than 250 words to [email protected].

ABSTRACTS (250 words) DUE BY: August 31, 2020
NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE BY: End of September 2020
CONFERENCE DATE: Thursday, November 12 - Friday, November 13, 2020
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Gennifer Weisenfeld, Professor, Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Duke University

Call for Papers 25th Annual Japan Studies Graduate Conference At UCLA

04/09/2020

We are incredibly saddened to share the passing of our Board Chair and longtime supporter and friend, Ms. Irene Hirano Inouye on April 7th and wish to extend our deepest condolences to her family and friends during this difficult time.

Ms. Hirano Inouye generously dedicated her time and expertise as the founding Chair of the Terasaki Center Board of Advisors in 2012. She worked together with the Center following the Great East Japan Earthquake to arrange various commemorative events including photo exhibitions held in L.A., Washington, and Chicago and a symposium entitled “Moving Forward: Life after the Great East Japan Earthquake.” She was instrumental in collaborating with the Japan Foundation to launch the Terasaki Center's New Visions of Japan event series in 2012. In 2017 she gave the keynote address honoring Dr. Terasaki’s legacy at the Center’s 25th anniversary gala. Ms. Hirano Inouye made a tremendous impact at UCLA helping the Center raise over $3 million in funding to support student, faculty, and community grants.

Her contributions not only to our Center but to the promotion of Japanese studies and Japan-U.S. relations as a whole have been immeasurable. At the time of her passing Ms. Hirano Inouye had been serving as the founding President of the U.S.-Japan Council since 2009, and prior to that she served as President and founding CEO of the Japanese American National Museum for twenty years. She also administered the TOMODACHI Initiative, a public-private partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and the government of Japan that invests in young Japanese and Americans through educational and cultural exchanges and leadership programs. For a full list of her accomplishments and activities, we encourage you to visit the U.S.-Japan Council’s website and read their press release.

The Hirano Inouye family plans to share any plans for a future memorial service after the current COVID-19 crisis has abated. They have asked that, in lieu of flowers or cards, donations be made in Ms. Hirano Inouye’s name to the U.S.-Japan Council.

Ms. Hirano Inouye’s loss is deeply felt throughout all of UCLA, but in midst of mourning her passing we hope to remember and celebrate her many extraordinary contributions to U.S.-Japan relations and pay tribute to her incredible leadership.

The U.S.-Japan Council appreciates the support of individuals, foundations, corporations and government grants that allow us to promote understanding and collaboration between the U.S. and Japan. If you are a …

01/15/2020

https://international.ucla.edu/japan/article/212930

UCLA has received a $25 million gift from Tadashi Yanai, the chair, president and CEO of Japan-based Fast Retailing and founder of clothing company Uniqlo. The funds will endow the Tadashi Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities, which will bolster UCLA’s status as a leading center for the study of Japanese literature, language and culture.

UCLA receives $25 million from Uniqlo founder for Japanese literature and culture studies

10/25/2019

On November 5th at 4 PM LMU will be hosting an event about the economic relationship with Japan and the US with special speaker Minister Takeshi Komoto, a high-ranking economic minister at the Japanese Embassy in Washington DC.

The US and Japan are the first and third largest economies in the world and key strategic allies.  And until recently they have been two of the most important countries for maintaining the global trading system.  With the rise of China and the Trump administration’s recalibration of its trade st...

10/14/2019

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/13/asia/typhoon-hagibis-japan-rugby-intl-hnk/index.html

Typhoon Hagibis weakened to a tropical depression as it continued to move across central Japan on Sunday, leaving at least 25 people dead and 175 others injured in its wake, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.

The storm made landfall just before 7 p.m. Saturday local time on the Izu Peninsula, southwest of Tokyo. According to the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office, "record-setting heavy rains and windstorms have caused flooding and landslides."
More than 230,000 people were evacuated ahead of the storm, with emergency orders issued for many cities around the greater Tokyo area. Around 27,000 Self-Defense Forces personnel are taking on rescue operations, the Prime Minister's office said.
Along with the 25 deaths, NHK said at least 175 people had been injured and 18 people remain missing.

Typhoon Hagibis weakened to a tropical depression as it continued to move across central Japan on Sunday, leaving at least 25 people dead and 175 others injured in its wake, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.

08/28/2019

Chancellor Block is currently in Tokyo celebrating UCLA's 100 year anniversary with the UCLA community in Japan. Congratulations UCLA, and we look forward to welcoming back all of our students next month!

07/22/2019

A recent celebration for the "topping off" of the Terasaki Budokan signified the halfway milestone of the building's construction.

"The “topping-off” ceremony was a chance to celebrate the fact that the construction phase on the gymnasium is past the halfway point; the facility is scheduled to open in early spring 2020."

Terasaki Budokan Reaches Milestone 0 Highest steel beam is raised on Little Tokyo gymnasium. Posted On June 12, 2019 Sports, Community News Construction workers raise a steel beam at a topping-off ceremony for the Terasaki Budokan last Friday in Little Tokyo. By GWEN MURANAKA, Rafu Senior Editor Two...

07/05/2019

The UCLA Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies is accepting papers for our 24th Annual Japan Studies Graduate Conference "Poetics and Politics of the Imagining(s) of Japan"

Please share with your friends and colleagues.

https://www.international.ucla.edu/japan/event/13898

24th Annual Japan Studies Graduate Conference at UCLA

07/01/2019

Notices posted in Japanese during natural disasters can be difficult for foreigners to understand. Incorporating yasashii Nihongo (easy Japanese) could improve communication with foreigners who need direct, informal instructions.

Japan's cities have found there are a growing number of foreign tourists and workers they need to warn when earthquakes, typhoons, and floods happen.