[KineJapan] Media, Gender and Sexualities Study Group, U of Tokyo (19 June)

[Jason G. Karlin]

Since our study group presentation this month partly relates to film, I thought I might share the announcement with the members of the list. If you are in Tokyo, please feel free to join us.

Media, Gender and Sexualities Study Group, University of Tokyo

Date:		Thursday, June 19, 2014
Time:		6:30 – 8:00 PM
Place:		University of Tokyo, Hongo Campus, iii Main Bldg, 6th Floor, Conference Room
Language:	English

http://www.iii.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/access

Title:
When Women Watch: The Subversive Feminist Potential of Female-Friendly Pornography in Japan

Presenter:
Alexandra Hambleton (Ph.D. Candidate, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Tokyo)

Abstract:
Populated with good-looking men and romantic storylines more often seen in trendy dramas than adult films, female-friendly pornography has graduated from the realm of alternative productions to being celebrated in the online and mainstream press as a “quiet boom” among Japanese women. Central to the phenomenon has been the work of porn production company Silk Labo which draws upon affective elements of Japanese popular culture, idol fandom, meet the (erotic) idol events, and online technology to encourage consumption of a genre that has traditionally overlooked female audiences, and expanded the market for pornography at a time when sales of mainstream adult films are falling.
This presentation draws on ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and critical analysis of Silk Labo films to investigate the phenomenon of increasing consumption of pornographic content by women in contemporary Japan. I examine the reasons for the success of Silk Labo and ask whether the consumption of female-friendly pornography can be considered a form of subversive feminism. Finally, I consider what the rising popularity of adult movies for women and inherently contradictory nature of their production reveal about attitudes towards sexuality and pleasure in Japan today.

--
Jason G. Karlin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
The University of Tokyo
Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku
Tokyo 113-0033 JAPAN
Email: ukarlin at mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp

URL: http://individuals.iii.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~karlin/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jgkarlin

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