Mardi 13 juin 2023, de 10h30 à 12h, Garrett Washington (UMass Amherst) donnera la conférence suivante :

« Une femme d’affaires dans le Japon de Meiji : HIROOKA Asako (1849-1919) et la mine de charbon d’Uruno »

à l’INALCO (2 rue de Lille, PARIS), Maison de la recherche, auditorium Dumézil.

Les personnes intéressées sont invitées à se signaler : le manuscrit de la conférence leur sera communiqué et ces aimables collègues seront invités à débattre avec le conférencier avant d’être invités à déjeuner avec lui à proximité du lieu de la conférence.

Le manuscrit est rédigé en anglais mais la conférence sera réalisée en français, M. Washington étant parfaitement francophone.

Les personnes désirant suivre la conférence par Zoom sont invitées à contacter directement Alexandre Roy (alexandre.roy@inalco.fr).

La prochaine séance du cycle de conférences « Productions et pratiques culturelles du Japon contemporain » du groupe Populations japonaises (IFRAE/CRCAO) aura lieu lundi 12 juin 2023 de 10h à 12h (heure française) sur Zoom.

Session 4: Gender performances in the relationship with fictive characters (Monday June 12, 2023; 10:00-12:00)

Commentator: Mayu Negami-Handford (Lecturer, Cardiff University)

(Link to the registration form for accessing Zoom)

1. Agnès Giard (Associate Researcher, Paris Nanterre University) 

Oshi-kon: Marrying a character? Gamer trouble in Japan

In Japan, the number of marriages is reaching its lowest level since the end of the Second World War. By contrast, a growing number of people – especially women – are getting engaged with characters from anime and video games. Dubbed oshi-kon (a pun on oshi, ‘favourite character’, and kekkon, ‘marriage’), marriages with characters now fuel the so-called ‘solo wedding’ business. Because such unofficial weddings are celebrated as private events, it’s nearly impossible to tell how many women enter into marriages with characters but the phenomenon is not underground anymore. To understand this phenomenon, I would like to argue that the women who ‘prefer’ to marry a character do not really make a choice. This « matrimonial dissidence » has nothing to do with escapism. Female players devote themselves to the worship of their favourite character as a form of spiritual commitment. At least, they make as if they were engaged with supernatural beings. Marrying a game character could be compared to a performance. My analysis will focus on the similarities between oshi-konpractices and the technics of make believe. As a first step, I will provide background information on the history of oshi-kon, in order to put this phenomenon in the context of Japanese society. In the second part of my demonstration, I will focus on the case of a woman who married a character from Prism of King.

2. Tôko Tanaka (Professor, University of Tokyo)

2.5 Dimensions musicals and female fan culture

In this presentation, I will introduce and discuss the « 2.5 D Musicals » phenomenon exemplified by popular productions like « The Prince of Tennis, » which emerged in Japan in the early 2000s. I will explore the activities of female fans who are drawn to these musicals, incorporating a feminist perspective. The official website of the 2.5D Musical Association defines 2.5D musicals as follows: « It is a generic term for three-dimensional stage content based on two-dimensional manga, anime, and games. This is the term used by the fans who have focused on and nurtured the genre from early on. Our association treats even productions that do not involve music or singing as 2.5-dimensional musicals ». There are three interesting aspects of 2.5-dimensional culture. Firstly, it involves a ‘dimensional transformation’ where actors (human beings) in the three-dimensional world bring to life the world created by two-dimensional characters such as manga and anime, adding a new dimension to the original context. Secondly, it is a ‘participatory culture’ in which the theatre-going audience is actively involved in the two-dimensional world of the production. Third, the fans of 2.5-dimensional musicals are mostly women and the fanzines are highly feminized. We will examine these points throughout the presentation by watching excerpts from some productions.

Le Nichibunken organise une conférence, en mode hybride, intitulée :

« Rethinking Historical Maps for the 21st Century: A Quantitative Perspective on Japan’s kuniezu« 
9 juin 2023, 15h-17h, JST, sur Zoom et en salle de séminaire n°1 au Nichibunken

Speaker: Mark RAVINA (University of Texas at Austin)

Discussants: Richard PEGG (MacLean Collection), D. Max MOERMAN (Columbia University), Mario CAMS (University of Oslo) and Elke PAPELITZKY (KU Leuven)　　　　　

Moderator: Edward BOYLE (International Research Center for Japanese Studies）

Abstract

Over the past 30 years, historians have reconceptualized the history of political space. We now recognize that discrete, exacting borders are largely a creation of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, not a timeless or natural phenomenon. Our historical maps, however, do not reflect this new understanding, and draw all borders as clear, exact lines. In Japan’s kuniezu, for example, long stretches of provincial borders are described as undetermined. How can we accurately map vague borders? Relying on quantitative methods, this paper engages with that question as both a conceptual and a practical problem for digital mapping.

Language: ENGLISH

Admission: FREE. Open to researchers, including students; link

ONLINE Participation:

Application required. Please apply using the following form by NOON on June 7; link

The URL for the Zoom meeting will be provided by the day before this seminar.

ONSITE Participation:

First come, first served

Notice:

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Thank you for your kind understanding.

Contact details for inquiries:

Projects Unit, Research Cooperation Section,

International Research Center for Japanese Studies

kenkyo@nichibun.ac.jp