CFP Special Issue entitled "Sustainable Practices of Consumption in Urban East Asia"

Stephanie Assmann Discussion
Type: 
Call for Papers
Date: 
March 31, 2017
Location: 
Japan
Subject Fields: 
Anthropology, East Asian History / Studies, Sociology, Urban History / Studies

Based on a panel entitled Achieving Sustainability in Contemporary Urban East Asia: Case Studies of Tokyo and Beijing organized for the Joint East Asian Studies Conference (JEAS) at the University of London, September 7-9, 2016, we plan to compile a special issue with an internationally recognised journal tentatively entitled Sustainable Practices of Consumption in Urban East Asia.

We address value shifts in East Asia from economic growth and material consumption toward diversified lifestyles, ethical consumption, and sustainability. This value shift coincides with the increase of precarious life conditions, social stratification and uncertainty in personal and professional lives. Urban spaces face particular challenges such as the need for waste reduction and alternative energies, the preservation of food safety and food security in areas with limited agriculture, and the development of architecture adjusted to limited spaces. Based on ethnographic research and qualitative content analysis, we examine how sustainability can be achieved in cosmopolitan cities in Japan and China. For the definition of sustainability, we draw upon the Brundtland Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), which states that sustainability 1) acknowledges the needs of the poor, 2) recognizes the fact that technology and social organizations limit the environment’s ability to meet these needs, and 3) acknowledges activities that meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of future generations.

We are currently three authors who investigate sustainable and innovative practices of consumption in China and Japan. Topics include 1) the activities of Chinese civil society organisations that increase awareness of agricultural and food sustainability, 2) activities of the members of the organization “Fair Finance Guide Japan“ who disseminate information on the sustainability of banks, and 3) a national food education campaign in Japan, which links healthy nutrition with the reduction of food waste.

We are looking for two additional authors who focus on Korea and China/Taiwan. Potential topics include Slow City/Slow Food movements, the use of renewable energies, waste reduction policies, sustainable agriculture, urban architecture, and migration flows to and from cosmopolitan cities. We look forward to receiving abstracts of 250-300 words to be e-mailed to Stephanie Assmann (assmann[at]imc.hokudai.ac.jp) by March 31, 2017. Full papers (6,000-8,000 words) should be submitted by October 31, 2017. Please include your name, contact details and your institution.

 

Contact Info: 

Dr. Stephanie Assmann
Specially Appointed Professor
Hokkaido University
Research Faculty of Media and Communication
Kita 17 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, 060-0817 Sapporo, Japan
Tel.: 0081-(0)-11-706-6940
E-Mail: assmann@imc.hokudai.ac.jp
Personal Homepage: www.stephanieassmann.com