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

Junki Nakahara:
"Struggles over national memory and "shame"-based nationalism in Japan: Analysis of audience reception of the documentary film Shusenjo"

Date and time: Thursday, November 7, 2024, 18:00~19:30 (CET, UTC +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/69121027549?pwd=Hvl0bILcgASDK4uzDS89aKxvjim6zW.1
Meeting-ID: 691 2102 7549 | Passcode: 105766

Abstract: This lecture by Junki Nakahara (Stanford University, USA) examines the complex role of digital platforms in constructing counter-hegemonic collective memory in Japan, focusing on audience reception of the documentary Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue. Produced by Japanese-American filmmaker Miki Dezaki, Shusenjo addresses the historical controversy surrounding the so-called "comfort women" (ianfu)--a euphemistic term for Asian women forced into providing sexual services to Japanese soldiers before and during WWII. The film captures the sociopolitical tensions surrounding Japan's wartime and colonial responsibility, presenting both traditional and revisionist-nationalist perspectives on Japanese war memory. The Shusenjo case study forms part of a broader research program on the critical intersections of media, technology, and suppression/liberation, specifically examining the contemporary institutionalization of nationalism entangled with racism, xenophobia, historical revisionism (e.g., denial of wartime atrocities), and misogyny. This research addresses the politics of war memory surrounding cultural products and their implications for the (re)construction of national identity--specifically how everyday people actively problematize, make sense of, and narrow or expand the meaning of the nation. By analyzing audience review comments through critical discourse analysis, this study offers nuanced insights into ongoing public discourse and sentiment surrounding this controversy. The documentary creates a space for the (re)construction of perspectives on collective war memory, adding layers of complexity to this process. The research demonstrates how digital spaces--such as discussion boards, user comments, and film reviews--become enmeshed into a gestalt that both stirs and structures the memory production process. This participatory and evolving construction of memory not only influences interpretations of Japan's wartime history but also reflects contemporary debates over Japan's role in regional relations, gender equality, and migration. The analysis finds the prominence of "shame"-based nationalism within a dialectic of memory production, wherein contemporary visions of Japan's future inform retrospective understandings of its past, with war memory serving as a rationale for national identity and future/prospective goals.

For more information on the speaker 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, Florian Purkarthofer, Elisabeth Semmler, 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 at the University of Vienna
E-mail: ujapanlectures.ostasien@univie.ac.at

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