Sporting Japan: Manifestations of a Society in Transition
CALL FOR PAPERS
Japanese Studies Program
In Cooperation with the
International Studies Department
with the Support of
The Japan Foundation
DATES: March 4-6, 2021VENUE: Online
OVERVIEW:
Sport is a rule-governed activity that often emphasizes the traits that society values, such as physical exertion, skill, pleasure, competition, and aesthetics as well as reflecting its changing identity, gender relations, and nationalism.
In the beginning of the 20th century, Japan’s nation-state building efforts coincided with its enthusiasm towards baseball and marathon when Japanese found out that their athletes were able to compete with the West after its long-period of international seclusion. Decades later, the 1964 Tokyo Olympics not only showcased Japan’s postwar economic recovery but also effectively boosted industrial capitalism and shaped its postwar identity. In recent decades, the 2002 FIFA World Cup drastically changed the sentiment of the South Korea-Japan relationship while the unexpected victory of the Nadeshiko Soccer Team in the 2011 World Cup revealed the contesting notions of gender and sports. Furthermore, renowned Japanese athletes with mixed descent such as Yu Darvish (baseball), Mashu Baker (judo), Akira Takayasu (sumo), and Naomi Osaka (tennis) obscure the line between ethnicity and national identity in the sportscape. Indeed, as the country prepares for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, various political issues have come forth: hosting the Olympics as a respite from the still unresolved 3/11 twin disasters, the cancellation of the architectural design of the new stadium, the disagreement among the citizens of Tokyo about the benefits and costs of hosting of the Olympic games and, above all, the socio-political implications of continuing the Olympics during the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, despite its relative neglect as a social science subject, sports has become increasingly central to discussions of the complex social reality of Japan.
Exploring the emerging scholarship on sports in Japan, this conference aims to revisit previous approaches and expand into new perspectives that better explain how Japan is trying to come to terms with the expanse and velocity of change both in the domestic and international sphere. Scholars are encouraged to rethink the confluence of sports and Japanese society by examining the themes related to sports, such as Japanese national and ethnic identity, multiculturalism, gender relations, tourism, public diplomacy, history, and the consumption of sports.
QUESTIONS
a. How have sports and society in Japan changed through the years?
b. What are the new approaches and perspectives that explain Japanese society through sports?
c. How are Japanese contemporary issues reflected through sports?
d. How can a sports lens help to better understand the underlying tensions and dynamics of Japanese society?
THEMES
For this conference, we encourage scholars to consider sports in Japan as they address any of the following issues and themes including, but not limited to:
Prospects of 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Sports diplomacy
Pandemic and Sports
Nationalism and identity
Internationalization
Multiculturalism
Gender
Ethnicity
Natural and social environment
Barrier-free standards and infrastructure
Sports technology
E-sports
Economics of sports
Body and physicality
Education
Other related topics are also welcome. Please submit the abstracts to this link on or before 30 December 2020. All submissions will be refereed.
The conference will consist of sessions with 20 min. for each paper
Abstracts and bios should be in English. Please include a title, your name, affiliation, contact details (mailing address, email) and an abstract of your paper (maximum of 500 words). Panel proposal must include 350-500 word panel abstract with abstract of individual papers and their bios. (maximum of 3 speakers)
Please direct any inquiries (jspadmu@gmail.com )
Sport is a rule-governed activity that often emphasizes the traits that society values, such as physical exertion, skill, pleasure, competition, and aesthetics as well as reflecting its changing identity, gender relations, and nationalism.
In the beginning of the 20th century, Japan’s nation-state building efforts coincided with its enthusiasm towards baseball and marathon when Japanese found out that their athletes were able to compete with the West after its long-period of international seclusion. Decades later, the 1964 Tokyo Olympics not only showcased Japan’s postwar economic recovery but also effectively boosted industrial capitalism and shaped its postwar identity. In recent decades, the 2002 FIFA World Cup drastically changed the sentiment of the South Korea-Japan relationship while the unexpected victory of the Nadeshiko Soccer Team in the 2011 World Cup revealed the contesting notions of gender and sports. Furthermore, renowned Japanese athletes with mixed descent such as Yu Darvish (baseball), Mashu Baker (judo), Akira Takayasu (sumo), and Naomi Osaka (tennis) obscure the line between ethnicity and national identity in the sportscape. Indeed, as the country prepares for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, various political issues have come forth: hosting the Olympics as a respite from the still unresolved 3/11 twin disasters, the cancellation of the architectural design of the new stadium, the disagreement among the citizens of Tokyo about the benefits and costs of hosting of the Olympic games and, above all, the socio-political implications of continuing the Olympics during the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, despite its relative neglect as a social science subject, sports has become increasingly central to discussions of the complex social reality of Japan.
Exploring the emerging scholarship on sports in Japan, this conference aims to revisit previous approaches and expand into new perspectives that better explain how Japan is trying to come to terms with the expanse and velocity of change both in the domestic and international sphere. Scholars are encouraged to rethink the confluence of sports and Japanese society by examining the themes related to sports, such as Japanese national and ethnic identity, multiculturalism, gender relations, tourism, public diplomacy, history, and the consumption of sports.
QUESTIONS
a. How have sports and society in Japan changed through the years?
b. What are the new approaches and perspectives that explain Japanese society through sports?
c. How are Japanese contemporary issues reflected through sports?
d. How can a sports lens help to better understand the underlying tensions and dynamics of Japanese society?
THEMES
For this conference, we encourage scholars to consider sports in Japan as they address any of the following issues and themes including, but not limited to:
Prospects of 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Sports diplomacy
Pandemic and Sports
Nationalism and identity
Internationalization
Multiculturalism
Gender
Ethnicity
Natural and social environment
Barrier-free standards and infrastructure
Sports technology
E-sports
Economics of sports
Body and physicality
Education
