Dear SSJ-Forum member,
The Department of East Asian Studies - Japanese Studies at University of Vienna would like to draw your attention to the upcoming hybrid u:japan lecture:

Igor Prusa:
"Scandal in Japan: Transgression, Performance, and Ritual"

Date and time: Thursday, January 11, 2024, 18:00~19:30 (CET, UTC/GMT +1h)

Location: Onsite @ Campus of the University of Vienna Department of East Asian Studies, Japanese Studies room JAP 1 (2K-EG-21), University Campus Hof 2.4, Spitalgasse 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria https://japanologie.univie.ac.at/index.php?id=23548#c646040

Online: Join the lecture via Zoom (no registration necessary):
https://univienna.zoom.us/j/62112772687?pwd=Tk8wcllGTnlJWGxxTWE1cEZKcU9mdz09
Meeting-ID: 621 1277 2687 | PW: 265833
The Zoom Meeting will be open from 17:45 (CET).

Abstract: This talk by Igor Prusa (Ambis University, CZ) is an exploration of media scandals in contemporary Japanese society. In shedding new light on the study of scandal in Japan, the talk offers a novel view of scandal as a highly mediatized "ritual" which manifests and manages revealed transgressions throughout Japanese history. The first part of the talk focuses on Japanese scandal as "media product", and it delves into the media's role in constructing, shaping, and distributing scandals in Japan. Here, Igor Prusa explicates the role of Japanese media organizations in a symbolic process of transforming leaked gossip into a full-fledged scandal. 
The second part of the talk approaches Japanese scandal as "social ritual". It explores the performative nature of scandal, highlighting how the scandal actors become characters in a larger social drama. Further, it demonstrates how the social drama of confession, exclusion and reintegration is turned into a spectacular media event with a high degree of ritualization.

For more information on the speaker, the lecture and future events at u:japan, please follow the link below:
https://japanologie.univie.ac.at/ujapanlectures/

We look forward to your participation!
Christopher Kummer, Astrid Unger and Ralf Windhab

PS: If you missed a lecture or want to review, head to our recorded lectures section:
https://japanologie.univie.ac.at/ujapanlectures/records/

u:japan lectures
Department of East Asian Studies / Japanese Studies University of Vienna
E-mail: ujapanlectures.ostasien@univie.ac.at

Sponsored by the Toshiba Toshiba International Foundation:
https://www.toshibafoundation.com/