[Nichibunken-IHJ Forum] Nichibunken’s Three Decades: A Critical-Analytical Survey and Some Outlooks

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  • Lecturer: Jun’ichi ISOMAE (Professor, Nichibunken)
  • Commentator: James E. KETELAAR (Professor, University of Chicago / Visiting Research Scholar, Nichibunken)
    Anna DULINA (Lecturer, Moscow State University, Institute of Asian and African Studies / Visiting Research Scholar, Nichibunken)
  • Date: Friday, November 22, 2019, 6:30-8:00 pm (Doors open at 6:00 pm)
  • Venue: Lecture Hall, International House of Japan
  • Coorganized by International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken)
  • Language: Japanese (without English interpretation)
  • Admission: Free
  • Seating: 100 (reservations required)
Nichibunken (The International Research Center for Japanese Studies) was started in Kyoto in 1987 with the support of the then Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone as a national research institute. It was conceived by the philosopher Takeshi Umehara, along with Takeo Kuwabara, a scholar of French literature, who sought to internationalize Japanese studies. Later, however, due to a number of factors such as the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Nichibunken began to question its significance. In this lecture, Prof. Isomae examines the trajectory of Umehara’s vision of “internationalization” of Japanese studies in order to reconsider the social values held by postwar Japanese society.
Jun’ichi ISOMAE (Professor, Nichibunken)
Isomae Jun'ichiSpecializes in religious studies and history. Prof. Isomae was an associate professor at Japan Women’s University and Nichibunken, and has been serving as a professor at Nichibunken since 2015. He has also been appointed a visiting professor/scholar at various institutions such as the University of Tuebingen (Germany), Doshisha University (Japan), Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany), and the University of Zurich (Switzerland). Author of Soshitsu to nosutarujia [Sense of loss and nostalgia] (Misuzu Shobo, 2007), Iki no shiko: Tasha, gaibusei, kokyo [Thoughts on threshold: Others, exteriority and homes] (Hosei University Press, 2013), and Shisha no zawameki: Hisaichi sinkoron [Disquieted voices of the dead: On the religious practices of Northeast Japan] (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2015).
James E. KETELAAR (Professor, University of Chicago / Visiting Research Scholar, Nichibunken)
James KetelaarDr. Ketelaar is a Professor of Japanese History, Religion and Thought at the University of Chicago. He has written on topics such as the persecution of Buddhism in Japan, Buddhism’s role in the colonization of Hokkaido, and the emotional aspects of erotic art in Edo-era shunga. He is currently finishing a book on the colonization of Ezo and has started a book on emotion as a trope in Japanese history. He delivered the 30th anniversary lecture in May 2017 at Nichibunken: “Various Problems In Japan Studies.” Joined Nichibunken in September 2019 as a Visiting Research Scholar.
Anna DULINA (Lecturer, Moscow State University, Institute of Asian and African Studies / Visiting Research Scholar, Nichibunken)
Anna DulinaAfter earning a Master’s degree in Arts from the University of Toyama, Dr. Dulina obtained her Ph.D. from the Institute of Asian and African Studies of Moscow State University, where she has been a Lecturer since 2014. She joined Nichibunken in April 2016 as a Visiting Research Scholar. She specializes in Japanese medieval history and thought.