AKP-Doshisha Joint Seminar

Kathryn Sparling, Carleton College, AKP Resident Director
Susan Pavloska, Doshisha University

World War II in Asia: 1931-1945

Leonard Smith, Oberlin College

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 helps unite regional conflicts in Europe and Asia into a single "world war." But the regional war in Asia had been going on for a good decade. War came to Asia when Japanese imperialism ran into Western imperialism, with China as the main prize. Consequently, it is necessary to have a broader chronological focus than a course on World War II based in Europe or the United States. We begin not in 1939 (when Hitler attacked Poland) or in 1941 (the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor), but in 1931 (the Japanese invasion of Manchuria). The course ends with the dropping of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki and with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. Together, these episodes marked the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War in Asia.

We will cover traditional subjects such as diplomatic, political, and military history, but also newer fields such as social and cultural history. We will explore how methodologies can intersect, such as in the cultural history of military experience. Considerable attention will be devoted to the "home fronts." For example, we will explore the often discomfiting ways Americans were mobilized to fight in Asia, a part of the world that seemed far more remote and "foreign" to Americans in the 1940s than Europe at the time or than Asia today. The course will also explore what categories such as "collaboration" and "resistance" mean when indigenous peoples found themselves fighting two forms of colonialism--Western and Japanese. We will also examine the physical impact of war on the Kansai area through discussing local history and through field trips. Why, for example, was Kyoto spared while Osaka and Kobe were practically destroyed by bombing? What was the long-term impact, military and cultural, of the strategic bombing of Japan in World War II? How was World War II commemorated in Kyoto and the Kansai region?

Kansai in Performing Arts and Film

Terry Kawashima, Wesleyan University

This course will explore visual representations of the Kansai area at various moments in Japanese history. The main questions we will address are: how is "Kansai" portrayed in visual media and performing arts? What contextual reasons could have shaped such representations? What are the intended and unintended implications of these representations?

First, we will examine a number of traditional perform arts genres through the reading of texts, the viewing of performances on videotape, and attendance at live performances being held in the Kansai area, whenever possible. Topics will range from better know arts such as noh, kabuki, and bunraku theaters, to the Takarazuka revue and contemporary comic dialogues. We will also read theories of performance in order to better understand the techniques of and philosophical approaches to the performing arts.

Second, we will analyze films that feature different places in the greater Kansai region as their main topics. We will read scholarship on film theory to supplement the films and to better understand filmic techniques that construct the viewing experiences of the audiences. Issues considered will include the difference between performing arts and film, and the construction of Kyoto as a cultural icon.

Finally, we will end the semester by attending a shrine festival, which can be categorized as another type of performance. The ritual will be contextualized through readings on the theories of ritual, as well as the historical significance of the festival itself.

The History of Kyoto

David Boggett, Seika University

This course will trace the history of Kyoto through successive Japanese historical periods, including such topics as the transfer of the capital from Nara to Kyoto, Muromachi and Momoyama era trade with China and South-East Asia, and cultural exchanges with Korea. The colonial era and Pacific War will be illustrated through the life of the poet Yun Dong-ju, a former Korean student at Doshisha. Making use of an extensive slide collection accumulated over years of research in Kyoto, course lectures will focus on a selected place (shrine, temple, city, area etc.), literary work, important event or historical figure from each period of history, and will also tend to emphasize "foreign" influences on the development of Japanese society. In addition, Kyoto's famous festivals, both grand and small, will be investigated through slides, historical documents, and field excursions to actual sites and events in order to understand how the Japanese past is being "re-imagined." We will also try to include various literary, religious and political sites on these local field excursions. The course will likely make connections with related material presented in other courses, as well as various homestay experiences, to enhance the students' understanding of Kyoto and its past.

Introduction to the Japanese Economy

Yasuo Sakakibara, Kansai International University

This course is an introduction to the major aspects of the Japanese economy. Topics include: social and economic "givens", a brief history of the Japanese economy, recent macroeconomic performances, foreign aid and investment, the role of the government and management and labor. Classes will begin with a lecture to define major issues, supply data and information, and present the instructor's view, and will be followed by discussion. We will also develop some comparative views of the Japanese, US and European economies.

Journey of the Three Jewels: Buddhist Arts of Japan

Cynthia Atherton, Middlebury College

This course will provide students with an introduction to the basic styles, ideas and principles of Buddhist art. Since the art of Buddhism is broadly international in scope, we will consider such themes as its origin in its Indian homeland, its spread through Central Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan, and its extensions in Southeast Asia. We will primarily focus on the extraordinary Japanese contribution to Buddhist art and architecture, and lectures, assignments, and field trips will center on Japanese examples in and around the Kyoto area. Topics include: the development of the Buddha image, Buddhist iconography, religious painting and sculpture, cave and temple architecture, ritual diagrams, and Zen paintings and gardens. No previous experience or knowledge is assumed.

Immigration and Ethnic Minorities in Japan

Beverly Nagel, Carleton College

This course examines the experience of ethnic minorities and recent immigrant groups in Japan, and the impact of these groups on Japanese society and national identity. Using theories and concepts concerning the construction of ethnic boundaries and identity, the constructions of culture, race, and nation in Japanese national identity; modes of labor market incorporation of ethnic minorities and immigrants; and models of assimilation, adaptation, and cultural resistance, we will explore the experiences of traditional ethnic minorities in Japan (the Ainu, Okinawans, burakumin, and Koreans), as well as more recent immigrant groups (Japanese-Brazilian return migrants, Middle Eastern, South and Southeast Asian labor immigrants). The course will consider questions such as: How have processes of national expansion and nation-building, colonialism, and globalization structured the ways in which culturally distinct peoples have been incorporated into Japanese society and economy? What have been the patterns of cultural identity formation, assimilation and resistance among these ethnic “outsiders” in Japan? What are the implications of the presence of these minorities for Japanese national identity, especially given the myth of Japan as culturally and racially homogeneous? Finally, what are the implications of the presence of these minorities for Japanese society and for government policy?

Kansai Fiction(s)

Kathryn Sparling, Carleton College, AKP Resident Director

A survey of Japanese fiction of this century, designed to provide a variety of perspectives on the Kansai area, its history and traditions. We will focus first on Kyoto (with some attention to Nara), then on Osaka, and finally, briefly, on Wakayama. By the end of the term we may hope to form contrasting fictional images of the "Kansai" as it emerges in Japanese literature, and to become acquainted with many aspects and corners of the physical, geographical area that exists apart from books. There will be slides. Excursions will be encouraged, some of them organized. Special emphasis will be placed on critical reading and textual analysis, with attention to the Japanese literary context and special strategies for reading Japanese literature. The format will be mini-lectures and discussion. Students will be asked to write one five-to-seven page paper of literary analysis, to undertake one relevant group or individual project based on experiences outside the classroom, and to participate in an organized panel discussion on Kyoto or Osaka. There will also be regular small quizzes on the reading and a final examination.

The Structure of the Japanese Language :"Missing" Elements in Japanese Grammar

Naoko Nemoto, Mount Holyoke College

In this course, we will examine the Japanese language from a linguistics point of view, particularly in comparison with other languages such as English. We will start the course with a brief overview of the major differences between English and Japanese. We will then focus on two hot topics in Japanese linguistics: number and pronouns. First, we will explore how to express number in Japanese. It appears that the singular/plural distinction is "missing" in Japanese. It is often assumed that a bare noun can be interpreted singular, plural, or mass, depending upon the context in which it appears. We will address thorny issues surrounding this question: is a bare noun always ambiguous in terms of number? When do we need the plurality indicator? How do we mark plural in Japanese? We will also investigate the differences in numeral classifier patterns. The second major topic will focus on the use or non-use of pronouns in Japanese. Why are the subject and object in Japanese so often "missing"? Does the meaning of a sentence change whether pronouns are covert or overt? We will also take a linguistics look at the use of demonstratives in Japanese, such as the ko-series, so-series, and a-series (e.g. kore, sore, are). We will finish the course by addressing linguistics issues raised by the students' experiences in Kyoto. Students are encouraged to collect data for their projects, using Japanese written sources and/or Japanese speaking audio, video, and interviews. No prior knowledge of linguistics is required. Since this course will be taught on site in Kyoto and will make use of students' experiences there, the topics and schedule are subject to revision.

Foreign Relations of Contemporary Japan

Terry MacDougall, Kyoto Center for Japanese Studies

This course surveys the foreign relations of modern Japan from the Meiji period to the present, with emphases on the legacy of World War II as an issue for Japan in its contemporary international relations and on foreign policy issues for Japan in the post-cold war era. It also considers how Japanese have remembered the war, the legacy of strong postwar pacifist sentiment on Japanese politics and foreign affairs, and whether Japan, in the post Gulf War era and particularly the present, may be reassessing and altering its approach to international security issues. We root our analysis of contemporary Japanese foreign relations in an understanding of issues of geopolitics and resource scarcity, historical relations with major countries of Asia and the West, the changing character of the international system, the nature of the domestic political regime, and how Japanese leaders have thought about the relation between their national history and culture and Japan's role in the international order. Hence, we are concerned with historical, strategic, political, economic and cultural dimensions of Japan's foreign relations with other Asian nations and with the United States but also discuss relations with other countries and regions and important global issues. This course is intended to be both a Political Science and History offering.