[KineJapan] CFP - Theorizing Anime: Invention of Concepts and Conditions of Their Possibility

[Bryan Hartzheim]

*Theorizing Anime: Invention of Concepts and Conditions of Their
Possibility*



An International Symposium, November 16 & 17, 2019

Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies

Waseda University





*CALL FOR PAPERS*



The purpose of the international symposium “Theorizing Anime: Invention of
Concepts and Conditions of Their Possibility” is to reassess critically
what anime studies has accomplished in and outside Japan since the
beginning of the 2000s. The symposium attempts to explore the possibility
of emerging new topics and methodologies by mainly focusing on the
following three clusters of issues and ideas.



First, we will reexamine various subfields and approaches in anime
studies—including, for instance, textual analysis, reception and
consumption, industrial analysis, historiography, anime’s medium
specificity, and anime as a form of thought experiment (T. Elsaesser)—to
clarify what has been accomplished so far and what remains to be done.



Second, we will scrutinize the politics of anime studies discourse in a
global context. Anime studies, which emerged contemporaneously in Japan and
the global space of English-language academic discourse, now exists as a
distinct field of intellectual inquiry. Even though they partially share
similar concepts and historical paradigms, anime studies in the global
academic space and Japan’s anime studies for the most part exist
separately. The absence of active interaction with each other sometimes
makes them appear as though they are two parallel—not necessarily equally
valued—universes. While the English-language scholarship on anime tends to
set itself up as a “universal” standard by freely crossing national
borders, anime studies in Japan often does not actively respond to the
global enclosure of anime-related knowledge by the English-language
scholarship. We will closely examine this peculiar relation of the “global”
and the “local” in an attempt to search for a more dialogic model of
transnational interaction and cooperation.



Third, we will discuss the relationship between anime studies and various
relevant disciplines. While having established itself as a distinct
research field, anime studies is not (yet) an academic discipline. The
possibility of anime studies is intimately linked to such disciplines and
areas of research as media studies, film studies, visual studies, game
studies, and literary studies. What can anime studies learn from these
established disciplines? Conversely, what impact does anime studies have on
them? We will address these questions not only from an institutional or
theoretical perspective but also through concrete case studies.



We invite papers that address any of the issues and topics above. We also
welcome proposals that challenge the basic premises of the symposium
directly or indirectly. Please send a paper title, an abstract of
approximately 250 words, and a short bio to wasedanime at gmail.com by *September
25, 2019*.



Organizers:

Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto (Waseda University)

Bryan Hartzheim (Waseda University)
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