9 luglio 2025    16:30-19:00 JST  (9.30-12.00 CEST)

Concept

Nel centenario della nascita di Italo Calvino, l’ISEAS intende offrire un contributo alla conoscenza del fecondo rapporto intrattenuto dallo scrittore con la cultura del Giappone. La scelta della sede ISEAS, situata a Kyoto, città dove Calvino ha soggiornato e che gli ha ispirato alcuni scritti memorabili, riveste un significato simbolico particolare.

Il workshop si terrà in italiano e in modalità ibrida (in presenza e online). 

Zoom Meeting ID: 827 2865 6382

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82728656382

Luogo: 29 Kitashirakawa Bettō-chō, Sakyō-ku, Kyoto 606-8276

Registration is required.

Please, register through the QR code on the pamphlet or the following link:

シンポジウム “Affecting Spiritual Healing, Re-making (Alternative) Worlds”SYMPOSIUM　　＊＊＊NO ARCHIVES AVAILABLE＊＊＊ 
Affecting Spiritual Healing, Re-making (Alter… powered by Peatix : More than a ticket. Peatix

Registration deadlines:

– “Discussing” part only: 2024/12/05

– “Discussing” and “Experiencing” parts: 2024/11/30

This symposium explores the relationships between anthropology, phenomenology, spiritual healing, and the transformative process of remaking worlds. The focus is on lived experiences of healing that go beyond medical interventions, emphasizing affects, feelings, and bodily perceptions.

Phenomenological research has highlighted the significance of “remaking a world” in healing processes. This concept, proposed by Das et al. (2001), refers to the transformative efforts by communities and individuals in response to traumatic and insidious violence, addressing suffering, enduring, working through, breaking apart, or transcending the impact of violence at various levels – local worlds, interpersonal relations, and individual lives.

While widely accepted, the concept has faced several criticisms. It has been critiqued for overemphasizing narrative, neglecting the lived, embodied experiences of healing and the structural constraints on individuals’ capacities to transform their realities. Other criticisms include that it overlooks the collective dimensions of healing and may be too rooted in Western individualism, failing to adequately account for non-Western perspectives.

This symposium aims to bridge these gaps by providing accounts of religious and spiritual healing across diverse ethnographic contexts. By focusing on affects, feelings, and bodily perceptions, it highlights the importance of intersubjective lived experiences in the making and remaking of new, different, alternative worlds. By analyzing these transformative processes, it aims to contribute to the understanding of how individuals and communities navigate and transcend their experiences of suffering, ultimately creating new worlds and ways of being in the world which connect to their wellbeing.

The symposium is divided into two parts: “discussing” and “experiencing.” In the “discussing” part, scholars academically explore the topic in a traditional symposium format. In the “experiencing” part, participants engage with the core themes of the symposium through their senses and perception. The goal is to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the topic by integrating both halves.

Program

Saturday, December 7th

DISCUSSING

1:00 PM – 1:05 PM: Andrea De Antoni (Kyoto University)

Opening Remarks and Symposium Overview

1:05 PM – 2:30 PM: Keynote Lecture: Thomas Csordas (UC San Diego)

Alterity and Identity in Religious Healing: The Case of Roman Catholic Exorcism

2:30 PM – 2:40 PM: Coffee Break

2:40 PM – 3:20 PM: Ran Muratsu (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)

Distancing from the Emerged “Thing”: Religious Healing and Biomedicines in Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches in Benin

3:20 PM – 4:00 PM: Daniela Calvo (JSPS, Kyoto University)

Remaking a World in Afro-Brazilian Religions. Meaning-Making, Affects and Spiritual Healing Among Brazilian Immigrants in Japan

4:00 PM – 4:10 PM: Coffee Break

4:10 PM – 4:50 PM: Junko Iida (Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare)

Cutting the Birth, Unbinding the Spirit: Exorcist Rituals in Northern Thailand

4:50 PM – 5:45 PM: General Discussion 1

EXPERIENCING

5:45 PM – 6:00 PM: Move to Seibu Hall

6:00 PM~: Networking Event (Catering, Buffet, Provider TBD)

6:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Thomas Csordas Live Performance

7:10 PM – 8:10 PM: ALKDO Live Performance

Sunday, December 8th

10:30 AM – 10:35 AM: Andrea De Antoni (Kyoto University)

Opening Remarks

10:35 AM – 11:15 AM: Miho Ishii (Kyoto University)

From Passion to Compassion: Healing Rituals in an Independent Church in Southern Ghana

11:15 AM – 11:55 AM: Fumihiko Tsumura (Meijo University)

Something Rises: The Materiality of Possession and Magical Powers in Northeastern Thailand

11:55 AM – 12:05 PM: Coffee Break

12:05 PM – 12:45 PM: Andrea De Antoni (Kyoto University)

All Around me are Familiar Faces, Worn-out Places: Feelings and Environments (Re-)Making the Spirit Worlds in Contemporary Okinawa

12:45 – 13:00: Thomas Csordas (UC San Diego)

General Comments

13:00 PM – 1:30 PM: General Discussion 2

Overview of the “Experiencing” Part

This live performance aims to enrich the symposium experience by offering cultural and emotional perspectives aligned with the workshop’s theme. Thomas Csordas is not only known for his groundbreaking research in anthropology and phenomenology and as the keynote speaker of this symposium, but he is also a talented singer-songwriter. He composes acoustic folk-rock music, focusing particularly on protest songs. His performance blends academic discourse, artistic expression, and insights on “remaking alternative worlds,” thereby enriching the symposium experience. The combination of performance and academic discussion allows the event to explore the theme not only intellectually but also through lived, sensory experiences.

Additionally, the invitation of the band “ALKDO” is particularly significant in relation to the symposium’s theme of “constructing alternative worlds.” Operating from the cultural center “Hashinoshita-ya,” which they run by renovating a traditional Japanese house in Toyota City, ALKDO has built strong ties with the local community. Their music fosters understanding and empathy across cultures, offering participants experiences that transcend daily routines. Formed around frontman Yoshiki Nagayama and percussionist Take Mai of the large ensemble band TURTLE ISLAND, ALKDO blends Asian sounds and beats into their unique style called “Acoustic Asian Trad Punk.” Through their activities at Hashinoshita-ya, they incorporate traditional Japanese cultural practices, creating a space where diverse people gather to explore music, art, and communal living. ALKDO’s music resonates deeply through emotions and physical perception, promoting empathy and understanding beyond individual senses.

Such a post-symposium event is expected to complement discussions on cultural diversity and hopes for a sustainable future, providing participants with deep insights and inspiration beyond scholarly discussions.

PERFOMERS’ PROFILES

Thomas Csordas

Thomas Csordas is known for groundbreaking research in anthropology and phenomenology, and he is the keynote speaker of this symposium. Additionally, he is a talented singer-songwriter who composes acoustic folk-rock music, particularly focusing on music production that emphasizes protest and resistance.

ALKDO（https://www.tunecore.co.jp/artists/ALKDO?lang=ja）

ALKDO is a minimal formation consisting of Yoshiki Nagayama (Vo, G), the frontman of the large ensemble band “TURTLE ISLAND,” which operates domestically and internationally based in Toyota City, Mikawa, Aichi Prefecture, and Take Mai (Vo, Taiko), forming an acoustic Asian trad punk duo. They express a world of music and songs that ride on Asian rhythms and beats, embodying a spirit that is simple yet distinctive. While their core is two members, they continuously tour nationwide, adapting their lineup with various members from different places over time. Since 2012, they have co-hosted the Hashinoshita World Music Festival with the microAction label and operate the traditional house-renovated cultural center “Hashinoshita-ya” near Toyota City Station. Beyond music, they actively create a communication space where various expressions and diverse people gather locally on a daily basis. The band name “ALKDO/アルコド” derives from Yoshiki’s roots on the Korean Peninsula; “al” in Hangul means “naked,” and “kdo” stands for “TURTLE ISLAND,” collectively translating to “Naked Turtle Island” or in essence, “Acoustic Turtle Island.”

Hybrid Workshop November 15-16, 2024

Workshop website

Flyer and Full Program Download

Concept

The concept of distance has evolved to encompass far more than mere physical separation. Today, distance represents a complex interplay of social, economic, logistical, psychological, and demographic dimensions, each influencing and reshaping the spaces we inhabit, whether physical, virtual, or abstract. This event (in its third edition) aims to explore the multidisciplinary implications of various forms of distancing, highlighting how these concepts have spurred innovative theoretical and practical developments across different research fields. The dynamic interaction between different types of distances, as aimed throughout this Workshop, is fostering new perspectives and research paradigms that are crucial for addressing contemporary challenges in a multidimensional mode.

This hybrid Workshop will be held on site and via Zoom 

For in-person participation, registration is required in advance by November 13th. Please, register here.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84891456718

Zoom Meeting ID: 848 9145 6718

We are planning a dinner with the speakers and in-person participants after the Workshop on the 15th. If you wish to join, please register through the link above by November 7th.

February 19, 2024  18:00 JST

Prior registration, on-site or online, is required from here by February 16.

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Concept

Hokkaido Dairy Farm offers a historical and ethnographic examination of the rapid industrialization of the dairy industry in Tokachi, Hokkaido. It begins with a history of dairy farming and consumption in Hokkaido from a macro perspective. It then narrows the focus to examine concrete changes in a Tokachi-area dairying community, with shifts in human relationships alongside changes in human and cow connections through new technologies. In the final chapters, the scope is further narrowed to a detailed history and ethnography of a single industrializing dairy farm and the morphing cast of individuals attached to it, centering on their idiosyncratic searches for economic, social, and ontological security in what is popularly considered a peripheral region and industry. The culmination of over fifteen years of ethnographic, policy, and historical research, Hokkaido Dairy Farm argues that the dairy industry in Japan has always been entwined with notions of Otherness and security seeking, notably in terms of frontiers (SUNY Press 2024).

Paul Hansen is professor in the Department of International Resource Sciences at Akita University in Japan. He is a socio-cultural anthropologist with a focus on Japan and Jamaica, social theory in relation to identity, affect, embodiment, posthumanism, cosmopolitan studies, ecology and animal-human-technology relationships. He is also interested in food and musicology. Having published extensively on these topics in anthropology journals, he is co-editor (with Blai Guarné) of the book Escaping Japan: Reflections on Estrangement and Exile in the Twenty-First Century (2018, Routledge) and co-editor (with Susanne Klien) of a Special Issue of Asian Anthropology titled Rural Japan as Heterotopia (2022).

January 27, 2024  12:30 JST

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Concept

In this symposium, we explore affect in interactions through virtual spaces. Focusing on mediated remote interactions not only highlights the processes through which virtual spaces shape and are shaped by affects and perception, but also stimulates rethinking of traditional concepts of distance and copresence. Therefore, the symposium not only explores various anthropological cases surrounding virtual spaces but also extends its scope to issues such as gestures and cognition in face-to-face interactions, correspondences with the environment, and to how the experience of “being with others” emerges in relation to distance through affect, feelings, and perception. By doing so, the symposium aims to examine the dynamics of affect, experiences, and perceptions in virtual spaces while simultaneously considering the theoretical dimensions of “distance” that have not been extensively discussed in cultural anthropology.

The symposium is divided into two parts: “Discussing” and “Experiencing.” In the former “Discussing” part, researchers engage in scholarly discussions on the theme in a traditional symposium format. The latter “Experiencing” part allows participants to explore the core theme of the symposium through their senses. Throughout both segments, the goal is to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the theme.

*Language: Japanese only

「論じる」締切：2024年1月26日（金）12：00　申し込みは締め切りました

「経験する」締切：2024年1月20日（土）12：00　申し込みは締め切りました

May 9-10, 2023 16:00 – 18:00 JST

ACCESS TO THE MEETINGS (ON BOTH DAYS) FROM HERE

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Concept

Modern archaeology has been developed almost simultaneously in Japan and Italy, with the first excavation of a mound tomb in Japan, the Samuraizuka kofun (侍塚古墳) in 1692, ordered by Tokugawa Mitsukuni, and  with Ercolano and Pompei excavations in 1748. This research field has been intensely promoted by national governments and academic institutions, and at present employs techniques and approaches from the physical, chemical, biological, and earth sciences as well as engineering (covered by the interdisciplinary field of archaeometry) to address archaeological issues. Archaeometry provides archaeology instruments for collecting, analyzing and interpreting data related to material records of human history, with a reciprocal cross-fertilization of methodologies and interpretative tools that make archaeology and archaeometry truly transdisciplinary. In the workshop the history of archaeology and the archaeological methodology will address the employ of archaeometry in a comparative view of the field in Italy and Japan.

October 22, 2022  16:00-19:30 JST

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Concept

Japan’s ecological variety, with no less than six different climatic zones, seems to parallel the panoply of different languages and dialects that have been attested in the Japanese archipelago. In addition to standard Japanese and its dialects, there exist other Japonic languages such as Ryūkyūan and Hachijō, as well as non-Japonic varieties represented by Ainu, Orok, and Nivkh.

Information on such linguistic diversity was recorded in a number of written sources, such as the Man’yōshū and Omoro sōshi, among others. In addition, foreign observers also provided insightful evidence on languages spoken within present-day Japanese territory. Identifying with precision what languages were represented in the written sources is not an easy task, but in most cases the combination of a philological approach and the tools of historical linguistics might shed some light on the nature of the languages in question. Analyzing specific cases by researchers who focus on different sources will help to reveal how the careful coupling of these two approaches might prove rewarding, without denying the importance of fieldwork and synchronic studies.

Centered on the seminal work of Alexander Vovin (1961–2022), the workshop intends to show how this combination could be possible in practice. Professor Vovin had been involved in its planning from the start, and intended to contribute with a keynote speech. His untimely passing prevented us from including his contribution. This initiative will also be an homage to the memory of Alexander Vovin and his legacy by a number of scholars who had been working in close contact with him or with his style of scholarship as a source of inspiration.

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Concept

Rice is an important element of food culture in Italy and Japan, where it plays a primary role in terms of production, gastronomic tradition, and artistic representation. Following the “farm to table” approach, the contributions to this workshop will touch upon rice cultivation and production chains shared by the two countries despite differences in cultivation and harvesting techniques. Rice will provide inspiration to explore the implications of technological innovation for production systems and sustainability, as well as environmental impact. The influence that rice exerts on economic and social contexts—in production, distribution, and consumption—will also be considered. From this perspective, the workshop will focus on production methods, organoleptic characteristics, and food safety, but will also deal with the profound link between tradition and innovation that distinguishes the sector. The range of contributions will embrace agricultural science and economy, as well as several other branches of knowledge, including the humanities, in keeping with the multidisciplinary tradition of ISEAS workshops.

ONLINE EVENT November 12-13 2021

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Workshop website

Concept

The global emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemics strongly impacted on the perception and management of distances. Social, economic, logistic and psychological consequences of distancing procedures affected many aspects of our life and interactions, allowing rethinking and reshaping spaces both physical and virtual, and involving new forms of theoretical and practical thoughts and studies. Within this scenario, the dynamic interplay between physical and virtual distances has assumed new forms, forcing innovative cross-disciplinary attitudes as well as the design of new perspectives for future research.

The workshop focusses on Japan and Italy, and combines multidisciplinary research to discuss the notion of distance, along the line traced by a previous event held in 2020. This second meeting has been organized in cooperation  with the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCast) of the University of Tokyo (the 8th cross-disciplinary workshop in their series). As before, scholars and experts from different disciplines will share their knowledge on the common discussion platform of how the perception of distance is addressing new research trends in scientific and humanistic studies.

November 13 2021  10:00 – 17:00 JST

The French School of Asian Studies (EFEO), the Italian School of East Asian Studies (ISEAS), and the Institute for Research in Humanities (Kyoto University) are organizing a workshop to conclude the Kitashirakawa EFEO Salon, a series of lectures on  Japanese religions held from 2018 to 2020.

The workshop will take place on-site, at the EFEO Kyoto center, and online via Zoom on November 13 (from 10 AM JST). The eight talks, seven in English and one in Japanese, aim at uncovering aspects of “lived religion” (or religion in practice) in late medieval & early modern Japan (16th to 19th c.) using innovative approaches and/or neglected primary sources. The speakers cover different religious traditions (Zen, Pure Land, Shingon, Shugendo, “folk” beliefs, and Christianity). The Cahiers d’Extrême-Asie will publish a special issue based on the contributions presented during the workshop.

Prior registration, on-site or online, is required.

Please send an email to

Due to the sanitary situation, the on-site participation will be limited to 20 people. 

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