CfP: 3rd Mechademia Conference on Anime, Manga and Media Theory from Japan

[Alex Zahlten]

CALL FOR PAPERS for...

        3rd Mechademia Conference on Anime, Manga and Media Theory from 
Japan:
        
        “World Renewal - Counterfactual Histories, Parallel 
Universes, and Possible Worlds” 
        
November 29 - December 2, 2012 
Dongguk University, Seoul
Deadline for submissions: May 15

In the wake of the disasters and tragedies of 3.11, the cry “Another 
world is possible” becomes all the more urgent. And so, we ask: How 
can counterfactual histories, parallel universes, and possible worlds of 
Japanese popular culture and media formations contribute to recognizing and 
ending the class warfare that underlies the maintenance of nuclear energy 
and entrenched forms of socio-historical inequality, and thus contribute to 
the formation of another world?

>>From the 1980s to the present, critique of popular culture in Japan has 
consistently emphasized a problem with narrative. Recent attention has 
shifted to other forms and practices, such as character (kyara), worlds, 
and fan repurposing. Narrative has been largely ruled out or dismissed, and 
often history as well. Nonetheless, our goal here is not a return to 
narrative analysis, but rather to call attention to the implications of the 
rise of modalities such as characters and worlds for storytelling and 
history.  As such, we invite contributions that deal with this specific 
question: 

Japanese popular culture — manga, anime, games, and SF — abound 
in scenarios in which our contemporary reality appears to be but one 
possible outcome within an open situation. What are implications of such an 
understanding of our reality?  

We envision some of the following lines of inquiry.

Counterfactual Histories.  Science fictions often encourage us to approach 
history in terms of ‘what if’ scenarios — what if there 
were aliens behind the emperor-system, or what if there were a battle 
between superheroes during WWII?  Such scenarios invite us to understand 
history through counterfactual situations.  But rather than dismiss such 
scenarios as non-factual, we ask: What are the social and political 
implications of understanding our historical reality in such terms?

Parallel universes.  Popular culture frequently juxtaposes different 
realities in the form of alternative timelines or bifurcating 
temporalities.  Here narrative does not hinge on teleological movement 
(grand or petty) but opens questions of temporality and temporal 
experience.  Thus, instead of assuming that such scenarios destroy 
story-telling or historical movement, we ask: What kinds of storytelling 
practices and forms of communication emerge across bifurcating 
temporalities?

Possible Worlds.  Attention to the role of character in media mix and fan 
practices has highlighted the importance of media and technologies in the 
formation of “worlds” and “worldviews.” And so, we 
call for submissions that explore the mediatic and technological dimension 
of these possible worlds, with an eye to the construction of value within 
circulation as well as socio-political possibilities or potentiality of 
Japanese popular culture.

And... The first Mechademia conference in South Korea will also provide a 
unique opportunity to explore the system of circulation that anime and 
popular culture from Japan are a part of in East Asia - a circulation that 
includes commodities, representations, and very importantly, labor. Papers 
addressing this topic are especially welcome. 

Papers presented at the conference will be considered for the 10th and 
final edition of Mechademia that will be published under the theme of 
“World renewal.”

ADDITIONAL EVENTS:

Keynote Speakers:
The conference will feature two keynote speakers that will be announced 
shortly. 

Podium Interviews:
The conference will present special podium interviews with animators to 
talk about their work, the interaction of anime and animation in Korea and 
the question of outsourcing. Featuring Ahn Jae-hoon, director of Green Days 
(Ahn Jae-hoo & Han Hye-jin, 2011), who also worked on the anime version of 
Winter Sonata. Also animator Watanabe Hideo, who has worked on anime such 
as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, and subcontracted 
animation such as G.I. Joe.

Archive Tour & Special Screenings:
The Mechademia conference will include a tour of the Korean Film Archive 
with special emphasis on their animation holdings. The visit to the archive 
will also entail a special screening of the oldest feature-length Korean 
animation, the only recently re-discovered and restored Hong Gil-Dong 
(1967, Shin Dong-heon). Also, the Planet Film Archives in Osaka will supply 
a program of rare pre-war animation films.

Dates:
The conference will be held November 29 - December 2nd at the Department of 
Film & Digital Media at Dongguk University and the Korean Film Archive. 
Dongguk University is the oldest Buddhist university in Korea and, and its 
Film Department was the first in Korea.

Travel support:
At the moment the full extent of travel support that the conference can 
offer is not finalized, but we hope to be able to provide a substantial 
accommodation subsidy for all presenters, ideally one that would cover 
basic accommodation.

Submissions:
Please send abstracts of up to 200 words to 
Mechademia.in.Seoul at gmail.com. Deadline for submissions is May 15, 2012. 
Proposals for complete panels of four presenters are also welcome; please 
include an abstract and contact information for each presenter. The 
conference language is English.

Any additional questions may be addressed to the conference organizers: 
Alexander Zahlten and Aramchan Lee and co-organizer Thomas Lamarre under 
the same address: Mechademia.in.Seoul at gmail.com.

    
-- 
alex at nipponconnection.de

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