Fwd: Anne Allison at Sophia on Monsterology (5/20)

[Aaron Gerow]

>
>
> From: "David H. Slater" <d-slater at sophia.ac.jp>
>
>
> The Institute of Comparative Culture
> at Sophia University invite you to hear
>
> Dr. Anne Allison
> Professor of Anthropology, Duke University
>
> TITLE: POSTWAR MONSTEROLOGY:
> JAPANESE CULTURAL EXPORTS TO THE US FROM GODZILLA TO POKENMON
>
> May 20th, 5pm (Classroom Building, Room 401)
>
> At Sophia University, Faculty of Comparative Culture,
> Ichigayam Campus (http://www.fcc.sophia.ac.jp/maps/)
>
> All are welcome and there is no charge.
>
> ABSTRACT: The trade in toys, monsters, and fantasy goods has played a
> vibrant role in Japan's postwar economy as well as the role Japan is
> currently cultivating as broker of techno-cool in the global
> marketplace of millennial capitalism. Focusing on US-Japan
> relations, this paper examines a series of Japanese "monster"
> products in terms both of their reception in the US marketplace and
> of their construction and logic of play. The argument is that, born out
> of the disruptures and dislocations of war, Japan's cultural industries
> have produced characters and creatures that are highly changeable,
> cyborgian, multi-parted, and replaceable. Fifty years later and into
> the new millennium, such a logic of identity/play seems particularly
> well-suited to the landscape of global capitalism: one of the reason,
> the paper argues, for the current popularity of "Japanese cool"
> around the world today.
>
> David Slater (d-slater at sophia.ac.jp)