Beyond the cases of Italy and Nazi Germany, a variety of patterns of fascism and authoritarianism took shape as responses to the unprecedented economic slump and social unrest during the interwar period. However, mainstream studies of fascism still have their focus on European cases. By shedding light on regions that remain underrepresented in studies of fascism, this three-day online workshop aims to trace the border-transcending circulation of ideas and concepts derived from fascism and to grasp its transnational character. With the case studies zooming in on regions such as China, Japan, India, Cambodia, Thailand, Brazil, and Romania, this workshop showcases the large-scale border-crossing movement of concepts and explores the multi-layered intellectual inspirations of agents from various backgrounds. The workshop is organized by the DIJ in cooperation with the School of Humanities, Kwansei Gakuin University. Details and registration here

The study of Japanese culture, the Japanese economy, and Japanese society by foreign scholars can be traced back as far as the Edo period. However, it was not until the early 21st century that such external perspectives began to attract significant academic attention and public interest inside Japan. Research institutes, faculties, and departments named “International Japanese Studies” or “Global Japanese Studies” have gradually emerged in Japanese higher education and opened up innovative areas of research. As a new field of study with an interdisciplinary and highly international nature, International/Global Japanese Studies is confronted by many challenges and uncertainties. On September 27, the DIJ, together with the Center for Japanese Studies of Fudan University (Shanghai) and the Global Japanese Studies Education and Research Incubator (GJS-ERI) of Osaka University will hold an online workshop to approach International/Global Japanese Studies from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and cultural backgrounds. Details and registration here

DIJ researcher Nora Kottmann will present her paper „Space, place and the pandemic: First insights into changing spatial configurations of singles’ intimate practices“ at this week’s Japanese Studies Association of Australia (JSAA) 2021 Conference. It is part of the panel „Singles and Intimate Practices in COVID times: Perspectives from an Original Survey“ which also includes presentations by her cooperation partners Laura Dales and Akiko Yoshida. The panel presents findings from the analyses of the survey data, with an aim to better understand the lives and non-familial relationship worlds of unmarried adults, and the experiences and practices from COVID-19 related changes to lifestyle and social practices. This research is part of Nora’s project COVID-19 and its effects on singles in Japan: Personal relationships and practices of intimacy in the time of ‘social distancing’ and ‘self-discipline’. The panel session takes place on Thursday, September 30th, from 11.30 am JST. Conference programme here

Every three years, Japanese Studies experts from all over the world present their latest research at the European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS) conference. From 24-28 August, Franz Waldenberger, Susanne Brucksch, Isaac Gagné, Sonja Ganseforth, Barbara Geilhorn, Markus Heckel, Nora Kottmann, Harald Kümmerle, Torsten Weber, and Yufei Zhou will participate in this year’s virtual EAJS conference as presenters, discussants, or chairs in the sections ‚Anthropology and Sociology‘, ‚Economy, Business and Political Economy‘, ‚Language and Linguistics‘, ‚Intellectual History and Philosophy‘, ‚Urban, Regional and Environmental Studies‘, and ‚Performing Arts‘. Programme and details here. In addition, Yufei Zhou will give a presentation on „Transoceanic Contacts in the Making of Sinological Knowledge“ at the European Association for Chinese Studies (EACS) conference on August 27 and Sonja Ganseforth will present her book publication Rethinking Locality in Japan (Routledge 2021), co-edited with DIJ alumnus Hanno Jentzsch, at the International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) on August 28.

DIJ Principal Researcher Susanne Brucksch will be one of four keynote speakers at the 17th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics and its Social Impacts (ARSO 2021). In her keynote on Friday, July 9, Susanne will reflect on how the relationship between humans and devices in medical contexts can be specified when the sociocultural dimension of a particular locale is included. For instance, the study of the social context provides manifold insights on knowledge production, research and development processes, user contexts, and the institutional background of the making and application of medical devices. Examples from the research literature and case studies will illustrate these intersections. Her talk draws on her recently published co-edited volume Humans and Machines in Medical Contexts in Japan and her book chapter „Robotic Care Devices: Aktuelle Entwicklungen in der Pflegerobotik in Japan“ in Genese und Folgen der Pflegerobotik (in German).