After 30 years in the post-Cold War and globalization era, the concept of “region” is undergoing intense re-bordering processes. Consequently, the knowledge system surrounding the idea of “region,” or “area studies,” is also being reconstituted across boundaries, signaling the dawn of a “post-area studies” era. In light of this, and to envision the “future of Japan” and the “future of Japanese studies,” the Seoul National University Institute for Japanese Studies is organizing a series of seven lectures to mark its 20th anniversary, featuring leading experts in each field. For the seventh lecture, we are pleased to invite Professor Takashi Fujitani, Professor Emeritus of Dr. David Chu Asia Pacific Studies and History at the University of Toronto, to speak. We look forward to your interest and participation.

• Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2024, 15:00-17:00
• Venue: SNU Graduate School of International Studies, International Conference Room (Bldg. 140-2, Room 401) and on Zoom
  • Zoom ID: 583 289 8745
  • Zoom link: https://snu-ac-kr.zoom.us/j/5832898745

Open to all without prior registration

• Speaker: Takashi Fujitani, Professor Emeritus of Dr. David Chu Asia-Pacific Studies and History at the University of Toronto
• Title: Promise of Freedom: Rethinking Modernity through Japan

Language: English

Lecture Abstract: When examining the “long twentieth century,” which began in the late 19th century and continues to this day, it becomes increasingly apparent that “freedom” is not necessarily the opposite of oppression and domination. Rather, as Michel Foucault’s writings and critiques of liberalism show, “freedom” often serves as a condition that enables the operation of power. One of the most illustrative cases of this interplay between freedom and power in modern Japanese history is Japan’s promise to liberate the peoples of the Asia-Pacific from Euro-American colonialism and racial oppression. However, the relationship between the promise of freedom and new forms of oppression is a recurring theme throughout East Asian and global modern history, including Japan. This lecture will use examples from Japanese history to address this issue, examining the complexities of freedom alongside nationalism, imperialism, colonialism, the “Emperor system,” and various forms of social discrimination.

Contact: 880-8503 / ijs@snu.ac.kr