Exhibiting ‘Japan’ by Means of Manga

The globalization of manga has led Japanese authorities to foster exhibitions of these graphic narratives. While researchers are grateful for the opportunity to highlight media-specific properties, organizers tend to employ manga to promote Japanese culture.

Leaning on personal experiences, this talk introduces the activities of the Kyoto International Manga Museum as well as the latest manga travelling exhibition organized by The Japan Foundation.

Speaker: Jaqueline Berndt holds a Ph.D in Aesthetics/Art Theory from Humboldt University, Berlin. Since 1991 she has worked at Japanese universities, eventually as Professor in Comics Theory at the Graduate School of Manga, Kyoto Seika University, Japan. Recently, she was appointed Professor in Japanese Language and Culture at Stockholm University.

In her research she focuses on comics and other contemporary popular media, "Art” as discourse and institution in modern Japan, and "Japonisms.” English-language publications include the co-edited volumes Reading Manga (2006) and Manga’s Cultural Crossroads (2013) as well as the monograph Manga: Medium, Art and Material (2015).

Discussant: Ewa Mochotka, Doctor, University Lecturer on Art and Visual Studies of Japan, Institute for Area Studies, Leiden University

Moderator: Marie Söderberg, Professor, Director of the European Institute of Japanese Studies, Stockholm School of Economics

The Japan seminar series is jointly organized by the European Institute of Japanese Studies at Stockholm School of Economics, the East Asia Program at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, the Department of Asian, Middle Eastern and Turkish Studies at Stockholm University and the Swedish Defence University. It features monthly seminars on Japanese economy, politics and society.