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January 16, 2024
Reminder: FCCJ Book Break. January 15. 18:00. Joshua Paul Dale, author of "Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired our Brains and Conquered the World"
From: FCCJ Library <library@fccj.or.jp>
Date: 2024/01/04
Reminder: The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) is pleased to announce the upcoming Book Break event on Monday, January 15, 2024.
Book Break: "Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired our Brains and Conquered the World"
By Joshua Paul Dale
Monday, January 15, 2024 from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
(The talk will be in English)
Schedule:
Doors open at 6:00 pm.
Dinner is served from 6:15 pm.
The presentation starts from 7:15 pm.
Admission:
3,000 yen/ 4,000 yen (member/ non-member, including tax, a set dinner with a drink)
550 yen (Online attendance via zoom, including tax)
Menu: TBD with Coffee or Tea with One Drink.
Please sign up by email (front@fccj.or.jp) and pay by Wednesday, January 10th, 2024.
Venue:
The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan
5F Marunouchi Nijubashi Building
3-2-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005
(https://www.fccj.or.jp/
Why are some things cute, and others not? What happens to our brains when we see something cute? And how did cuteness go global, from Hello Kitty to Disney characters?
Cuteness is an area where culture and biology get tangled up. Seeing a cute animal triggers some of the most powerful psychological instincts we have - the ones that elicit our care and protection - but there is a deeper story behind the broad appeal of Japanese cats and saccharine greetings cards.
Joshua Paul Dale, a pioneer in the burgeoning field of cuteness studies, explains how the cute aesthetic spread around the globe, from pop brands to Lolita fashion, kids' cartoons and the unstoppable rise of Hello Kitty. His book delves into the surprisingly ancient origins of Japan's kawaii culture, and uncovers the cross-cultural pollination of our globalized world.
Understanding the psychology of cuteness can help answer some of the biggest questions in evolutionary history and the mysterious origins of animal domestication. This is the first cultural history of cuteness, and offers a revealing look at how our most powerful psychological impulses have remade global style and culture.
In his talk, Joshua will explore the science behind cuteness using examples ranging from the annual "Pikachu Outbreak" parade of Pokémon characters in Yokohama to the free-roaming foxes of Zao Fox Village in Miyagi Prefecture. Then, he'll speak on how Japan's kawaii culture influenced emoji; fan conventions of "furries" who dress in head-to-toe animal costumes; and the latest in cute robots, the LOVOT.
Joshua Paul Dale has been living in Japan since the early 1990s. He is a Professor of American Literature and Culture at Chuo University, Tokyo. Joshua received a four-year JSPS grant to study cuteness in 2020 and has published widely in the new field of cute studies.
Doors open at 6:00 pm. Dinner is served from 6:15 pm. The presentation starts from 7:15 pm. Menu: TBD/ Coffee or Tea with One Drink. Book Break charges are 3,000 yen/ 4,000 yen (members/ non-members) per person.
FCCJ members can sign up at the reception desk. Reservations cancelled less than 72 hours in advance will be charged in full.
Non-members can reserve at the reception desk by email (front@fccj.or.jp). Payment is in advance till Wednesday, January 10th, 2024. No refund is available unless the event is cancelled by FCCJ.
Online attendance (via Zoom) is available at 550 yen per person. Please indicate the intention to attend online when signing up. Details on how to join online will be sent to individual emails after their reservations are confirmed.
Attendees with food restriction should inform the reception desk (front@fccj.or.jp) three days before the event. Thank you.
https://www.fccj.or.jp/event/
Library, Archives & Workroom Committee
The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ)
Approved by ssjmod at 02:22 PM