イベント&アクティビティ
Inscribing Edible Otherness: Intersections of Food, Gender, and Ethnicity in Contemporary Zainichi Poetry
This presentation explores the intersections of food, gender, and ethnicity in contemporary zainichi Korean poetry. Far more than simply a biological necessity, “food serves as an indicator of social identity, from region to ethnicity, from class to age or gender” (Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz 1993: 90). In zainichi Korean literature, representations of food, cooking, and eating often do not primarily serve to add realism to the work. Rather, food is used as shorthand for the ties that persist between Korean immigrants and their pasts, and to indicate the degree of their assimilation in Japan. This function is particularly clear in poetry, which, due to its brevity, must forego world building and instead invest meaning in every single word. With a focus on the representation of what is probably the most iconic Korean food, kimchi, I examine how ethnic food is celebrated, and simultaneously resisted, as (gendered) cultural heritage. I show how food is used to highlight cultural anxieties and desires, mark processes of inclusion and exclusion, and express a wavering sense of connectedness between Korea, the imagined country of the poets’ descent, and Japan, the country of their own birth.
Speaker:
Kristina Iwata-Weickgenannt, Nagoya University / Trier University
DIJ Roundtable
Labour Market Liberalisation after the Lehman Crisis: Comparing France, Germany and Japan
10 years after the collapse of the investment firm Lehman Brothers, a shift in discourses on structural labour market reforms is becoming ever more visible. Whereas before the crash many experts and policymakers had argued that market-oriented reforms were necessary to improve labour market and economic performance, the social costs of liberalisation now seem to attract much more attention.
Yet the jury is still out on whether this discursive shift has prompted a similar change in policy. While policies emphasising social equality appear to have gained in popularity (e.g. minimum wages, equal treatment for non-standard workers), structural reforms echoing liberalisation are also still on the agenda (e.g. French reforms of labour contract law).
This event aims to shed light on this mixed picture of continuity and change by bringing together three renowned scholars from France, Germany, and Japan for a roundtable discussion. They will discuss whether and to what extent the Lehman crisis (a.k.a. the global financial crisis) has indeed led to a lasting reorientation of labour market policy and politics.
Speakers:
Bruno Amable, University of Geneva
Paul Marx, University of Duisburg-Essen
Mari Miura, Sophia University in Tokyo
Monumenta Nipponica 80th Anniversary Symposium: Roundtable
Deputy Director Barbara Holthus introduces the DIJ at the Monumenta Nipponica 80th Anniversary Symposium:
The event’s full video playlist is available on YouTube.
“Inner city life, inner city pressure”. Thinking local urban spaces through senses and discourses
The lingering scent of food served in small restaurants, the clattering sounds of commuter trains running along the tracks accompanied by a slight shaking of the uneven road — these and many more sensations are transmitted via the medium of public urban space. The (un-)determined shared spaces enable and channel movements and serve as a canvas on which the everyday urban life is painted. Even though this might sound idyllic, the local public sphere is not limited to harmony and sympathy but is also open to conflict, disturbance and unintended contact.
This presentation aims to shed light on the perception and construction of urban spaces and on how these social processes are enacted in Japan. The following questions stand at the center: How does public space as a medium frame perceptions and communication? And how do perceptions and communication construct public space in return?
Speaker:
Florian Purkarthofer, University of Vienna
「ドイツ日本研究所」×「電通国際交流室」セミナー@アカデミーヒルズ
ジャパン・ウォッチャーが目撃した『平成ニッポン30年』
ドイツ日本研究所は創立30周年を記念して、電通ビジネス・ディベロップメント&アクティベーション局国際交流室とコラボレーションしたトークセッション「ジャパン・ウォッチャーが目撃した『平成ニッポン30年』」を開催する。
平成の価値観、コミュニケーション、キャリア形成、生産性、働き方、自然災害との向き合い方などについての考察を、会場の参加者と共にセッションしていく。
登壇者:
フランツ・ヴァルデンベルガー
ドイツ日本研究所 所長
上條 典夫
株式会社電通 執行役員
森下 公江
株式会社電通 電通イノベーションイニシアチブ イノベーションインテリジェンス部長
Work Style Reform, Gender Time Gap, Work-Life Balance, and Gender Equality in Japan and Germany
In cooperation with the Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) the DIJ hosted an one-day workshop about work style reform, gender time gap, work-life balance and gender equality regarding Japan and Germany.
Speakers:
Michiko Mae, University of Düsseldorf
Ute Klammer, University of Duisburg-Essen
Yumiko Murao, Associate Professor of Sociology at Toyo University
Elke Holst, German Institute for Economic Research
Kumiko Nemoto, Kyoto University
Fanz Waldenberger, German Institute for Japanese Studies
Machiko Osawa, Japan Women’s University
Ralf Kleindiek, The Boston Consulting Group
Depictions of Beethoven in Japanese Anime: Japanese Visual Arts Transforming Western Iconography
Beethoven’s legacy is still alive and well in present-day Japan, where his life and works continue to play a major part in Japan’s modern cultural landscape. The Western vision of the wild-haired, scowling genius is commonly recognized in Japan today, and it comes as no surprise that many agencies have tried to harness the power of his unmistakable image to attract Japanese consumers.
This presentation examines two examples of Beethoven as an anime character. The first is from the 2001 OVA Read or Die, in which Beethoven is a cyborg fated to destroy mankind with his “Suicide Symphony.” The second is “Beethes” from NHK’s 2016 comedy anime ClassicaLoid, a stylishly leather-clad android obsessed with cooking the perfect gyoza dumpling. In addition, we will hear how Beethoven’s symphonic masterpieces are transformed in the anime underscores to support the distinctly Japanese characterization of Beethoven found in these popular shows.
Speaker:
Heike Hoffer, The Ohio State University
Big Data – the new competitive paradigm. How well is Japan prepared?
Big data will be at the heart of the digital revolution. Social networks, factories, supply chains, digital market places, “shared economy” platforms, medical devices, wearables, smart homes, seismic instruments, weather stations and GPS satellites – in the digitalized and connected world data have become abundant. Rapidly developing tools to integrate and analyze large volumes of diverse datasets in ever faster and intelligent ways open up enormous potentials for research, private enterprises and public policy.
Our half-day workshop explores how Japan is building the infrastructures to efficiently and responsibly gather, integrate, analyze, use and trade data. The workshop is organized around three panels. Each panel will consist of four speakers. They will start with short presentations by Japanese speaker with backgrounds in research, business and policy followed by an international perspective or general comment. A moderator will introduce and guide the speakers and coordinate the discussions.