Symposium: Digital Humanities Approaches to Japanese Studies (Saturday, December 17)

The Osaka University Global Japanese Studies Education and Research Incubator (GJS-ERI) and the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken) present a hybrid international symposium, with additional support from the Consortium for Global Japanese Studies (CGJS):

Digital Humanities Approaches to Japanese Studies
Date/Time: Saturday, December 17, 2022, 10:00–12:00 and 13:00–16:10 JST (UTC+9)
Venue: Online via Zoom, or in person at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies Commemoration Hall,
       Research and Education Hub 1F, Osaka University Minoh Campus; see access information here
Registration: Required for online or in-person participation; please register here by 17:00 JST on Tuesday, December 13
Languages: English and Japanese; the morning session will include simultaneous interpretation
Contact: gjs-eri@office.osaka-u.ac.jp

The Global Japanese Studies Education and Research Incubator (GJS-ERI), established by Osaka University in December 2020, promotes interdisciplinary, international, and community-based research and education in Japanese studies, combining the strengths of approaches from the humanities and those of the social sciences. In July 2022 the Incubator added a Digital Japanese Studies Division to its existing core divisions of education, research, and networking, reflecting how the incorporation of data science methods is now becoming indispensable for education and research in the humanities and social sciences. This international symposium explores the possibilities of "Digital Japanese Studies" with joint sponsorship from the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken), which has also identified digital transformation as a major developmental goal.

Attempts to combine Japanese studies with digital methods in various fields of humanities and social sciences have already produced significant results, both in Japan and abroad. This symposium welcomes a number of panelists who have produced pioneering research results using digital humanities approaches, with a keynote address by Hoyt Long of the University of Chicago. We invite you to participate in this opportunity to consider the current state of "Digital Japanese Studies" and to look ahead to the future.

This international event will take place in a hybrid format. The morning session will include simultaneous interpretation, and the afternoon session will be conducted primarily in Japanese. We look forward to welcoming attendees from across Japan and around the world.

Schedule
10:00–10:15 JST
Opening Remarks: MITSUNARI Kenji (Director of GJS-ERI and Executive Vice President, Osaka University)
Introduction to the Symposium: UNODA Shoya (Professor and Associate Director of GJS-ERI, Osaka University)

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10:15–12:00 JST
Session 1: Keynote speech with simultaneous interpretation and discussion
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Hoyt LONG (Professor, University of Chicago):
       “Towards a Science of Stories: Past, Present, Future”
Moderators: TABATA Tomoji (Professor, Osaka University Graduate School of Humanities) and
       Nicholas LAMBRECHT (Assistant Professor, Osaka University Graduate School of Humanities)

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13:00–16:00 JST
Session 2: “Japanese Studies and Digital Humanities Approaches”
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Panelists (20~25 minute presentations): Tarin CLANUWAT (Senior Research Scientist, Google Brain),
     SAKATA Mamiko (Professor, Doshisha University Faculty of Culture and Information Science),
     YANO Keiji (Professor, Ritsumeikan University College of Letters),
     MATSUMURA Naohiro (Professor, Osaka University Graduate School of Economics)
Discussants: NAGAHARA Hajime (Professor, Osaka University Graduate School of Information Science and Technology)
     and SEKINO Tatsuki (Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies)
Moderator: TABATA Tomoji (Professor, Osaka University Graduate School of Humanities)

16:00–16:10 JST
Closing Remarks: Timon SCREECH (Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies;
     Director of International Research Promotion Division, Consortium for Global Japanese Studies)