These three lectures explore the new histories and historical questions made possible by focusing on material objects and the materiality of the past.

Drawing on the theoretical insights of environmental history, anthropology, and materialist philosophy, the lectures will consider the history of Meiji Japan, the long history of the Ise Shrines, and contemporary issues in Japanese historiography generally.

 

Lecture 1 (December 25): A materialist approach to Meiji Japan

Date & Time:  December  25 (Tue.), 2018, 14:45-16:15

Venue: Room 960, Bldg.#14, Waseda Campus, Waseda University

This lecture will revisit the history of Meiji Japan from the perspective of three material phenomena and the issues they raise: the adoption of Western clothing and architectural interiors;

the construction of brick buildings; and the expansion of silk production for export.

 

Lecture 2 (December 26): Rethinking the Ise Shrines through material flows

Date & Time:  December  26 (Wed.), 2018, 14:45-16:15

Venue: Room 960, Bldg.#14, Waseda Campus, Waseda University

In this lecture, the long history of periodic demolition and reconstruction at the Ise Shrines will be re-conceptualized through the question of what was done with the vast quantities of material that flowed into the shrine every twenty years.

At the same time, it will ask the more fundamental question of what this mobilization of resources teaches us about the historical nature of sacred power in Japan from the ancient to the modern period.

 

Lecture 3 (December 27): From “thing theory” to biomass and beyond: frontiers of materialism

Date & Time:  December  27 (Thu.), 2018, 14:45-16:15

Venue: Room 960, Bldg.#14, Waseda Campus, Waseda University

This lecture will review some recent trends in history, anthropology, and philosophy concerning the agency of the material world. In the process, the implications for new historical approaches to modern Japan will be explored, with a particular focus on reinterpreting the history of cities and urban space.

• Lecturer: Jordan Sand, Professor of Japanese History, Georgetown University
• Coordinator: Naoyuki Umemori (Professor, Faculty of Political Science and Economics)
• Language: English
• Open to: Students, faculty, staff and the general public
• Admission: Free
• Contact: [email protected]

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