Call for Papers



International Conference on New Frontiers in Japanese Studies

September 17-19, 2018 @ University of Melbourne Asia Institute



Organizers: Akihiro Ogawa (University of Melbourne) & Philip Seaton (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)



Abstract


The International Conference on New Frontiers in Japanese Studies will be an opportunity for scholars of the next generation to present new research in Japanese Studies. The conference participants will present new approaches and ideas in the Japanese Studies scholarship, with a particular focus on how these ideas/issues can serve as solutions to global challenges in the twenty-first century. Some potential topics include environmentalism, aging society, energy policy, tourism, lifestyle, gender equality, social media, multiculturalism, civil society, etc. We will invite new leaders in Japanese Studies to Melbourne.



Japanese Studies scholarship is nowadays successfully spreading globally. While scholarship has been dominated by Western scholars in the US, Europe, and Australia, our efforts also include a link to emerging places and scholars of Japanese Studies in the Asia Pacific region. We aim to integrate multiple perspectives on Japanese society into the scholarship. We believe our efforts will result in pushing the existing boundaries of scholarship forward and exploring a new frontier. The proposed conference will be a starting point for creating this dialogue on future scholarship.



The International Conference on New Frontiers in Japanese Studies will be a kick-off conference for the Modern Japanese Studies Consortium - a new academic initiative institutionalizing research hubs in Japanese Studies. The founding institutions of the Consortium will be the University of Melbourne Asia Institute and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies School of Japan Studies ,which will admit its first students in April 2019. We will open the research network internationally.



The conference will provide a solid knowledge foundation for the establishment of the Consortium. It has two major aims: (1) to enhance the prominence of Japan and Japanese Studies within global academia; (2) to root Japanese Studies as an area of study more firmly within the international environment and academic disciplines. The Consortium will help improve new collaborative international research in Japanese Studies and expand student exchange opportunities.




This conference is held in conjunction with the centennial jubilee of the University of Melbourne Japanese Studies program.




Deadline for paper title and abstract (200 words) submissions: May 15, 2018




For submissions and questions please email akihiro.ogawa@unimelb.edu.au and pseaton62@tufs.ac.jp

Please include your affiliation and contact details.



We will cover travel cost (airfare and accommodation).