Dear SSJ-Forum Members:

Please note the upcoming deadline of Nov. 7 for the 15th Annual IAJS Conference to be held on November 23rd and 24th at Toyo University, Hakusan Campus, Tokyo.
The conference particularly seeks to address the urgent need to rethink modernity, including education, institutional practices and ethics during the climate and ecological crisis, but welcomes papers on any topics, past or present, that touch upon the theme of social renewal.

Please send inquiries to: iajs2019conference@gmail.com

Thank you for your consideration.

Charles Cabell,
Dept. of Global Innovation Studies, Toyo University



15th Conference of International Association of Japanese Studies

YONAOSHI: Remaking the World

November 23-24, Toyo University, Hakusan campus, Tokyo

Beginning this year, papers may be given in Japanese or English.

Applications to present on the 23rd* should be sent by Nov. 7 to iajs2019conference@gmail.com

Those interested in participating themselves or bringing students to participate in the student-centered event on the 24th* should complete the registration form at: https://forms.gle/Xj3XphaZxH1Fv5jP8

Imagination, spontaneous fancy, humor, creativity, art and hope for tomorrow are powerful antidotes to the despair of extreme inequality, profound alienation, the stress of endless competition, marginalization and, dare we say, the growing awareness of the planetary devastation threatened by runaway neoliberal economics. It is worth recalling in times such as these that, across time and space, people in Japan time and time again have remade their worlds, reimagining reality, dreaming of things unlike anything before and bringing them forth to fruition. In this year's conference, we welcome papers that take up issues connected with transformations in Japan, transformations that are personal and societal, past or present. We welcome scholars from an array of fields who are interested in exploring the power of creative thought - from quiet abstract contemplation to extravagant fantasy and vision, from everyday doodles to the unconscious in literature and film, from ancient delicate poetry to pithy tweets, from exotic manga to political expression.



As this year's keynote speaker, we are excited to welcome Dr. Harumi Osaki, speaking on



Beyond Universalism and Particularism:

Rethinking the Philosophy of the Kyoto School



Harumi Osaki is an independent scholar of Western and Japanese philosophy. Her recently published book Nothingness in the Heart of Empire: The Moral and Political Philosophy of the Kyoto School in Imperial Japan (2019, SUNY Press) deals with heated debates over the essence of the Japanese nation and its relationship to the West that arose in the early 20th century. Her work has been praised as an exceedingly valuable contribution to the English-language scholarship on NISHIDA Kitarō, a towering figure in modern Japanese philosophy. In demonstrating the connections between Japanese wartime philosophers' attempts to articulate "non-Western forms of rationality" and their engagement with wartime aggression, Osaki has placed herself at the center of discussions on the nature of identity and Japanese nationalism that are as relevant today as they were during the war.



Harumi Osaki received her PhD in contemporary French thought from Hitotsubashi University in 2003 and went on to complete a second doctorate in Japanese philosophy from McGill University in Canada in 2016.



*NOTE: In keeping with the traditional aims of our society, the first day of this year's conference will be dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of scholarly research. In the spirt of renewal and expansion, we also encourage students to come and join in discussions. Building on last year's efforts, the second day will establish spaces where students, activists, artists and educators interested in issues of equity and social justice can gather as poster presenters, workshop facilitators or simply participants to share food and drink, inspire and empower, exchange ideas, build solidarity, organize and act for change.