Welcome
The JSAA is the professional association for those in Australia who teach, research or study Japan. The Association was established in 1978, and membership is open to Japanese Studies practitioners in Australia and overseas. Become a Member ⟶
The JSAA objects to the closure of the Japanese language program at Swinburne University, and the executive has written letters demanding a review of the decision to the Swinburne management as well as the Minister for Education and the Shadow Minister for Education. You can help by signing this petition:
Latest News
In Loving Memory of Carol Hayes
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Professor Carol Hayes.
Many of you would know of Carol’s ongoing battle with brain cancer. Carol passed away surrounded by loved ones on Sunday the 16th of October.
Carol’s contribution to Japanese Studies and to the JSAA has been enormous. She was a longstanding member of the JSAA and held various roles on the executive at different times including President from 2013-2015. She was consistently a positive and important presence mentoring ECRs, postgraduate students and colleagues. Carol was recently recognised for her contributions in many areas within Japanese/Asian Studies, Japanese language education and, more generally, her various roles at ANU, with a promotion to the position of Professor.
Carol will be greatly missed not only for her academic contributions, but also her warmth, kindness and cheeky sense of humour.
Gender and Emotion in Japanese Christianity (1549-1638) International Hybrid Workshop (7th February 2023)
The Gender and Research Centre at the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences at the Australian Catholic University invites you to submit an abstract for a workshop on Christianity in Sengoku and Tokugawa Japan, with a focus on two themes that have been overlooked by past literature: emotions and gender.
The workshop will be held on 7th February 2023 (AEDT) in hybrid mode, at the ACU Fitzroy Campus in Melbourne, Australia and online. We are thrilled to announce that Professor Haruko Nawata Ward (Columbia Theological Seminary) will be the opening keynote, with the topic: Deciphering Kirishitan women, emotions, and persecution.
We are seeking a selection of papers that engage with gender and/or emotions in the context of Christianity in Japan, from 1549 to 1638. As the performance of gender and feelings is deeply connected, the workshop will give special attention to the intersections of gender and emotions in the work of the Catholic missions in Japan, to fully flesh out the experiences of those who lived and engaged with Japanese Christianity.
Additionally, we would like to form a panel that offers a comparative perspective with other early modern Christian missions, so abstracts on the workshop’s themes that consider different geographical contexts are welcome too.
We are in discussions to publish the full articles prepared from the workshop presentations in a special issue of an international, high-ranked journal.
CONVENORS:
Dr Linda Zampol D’Ortia Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellow
Dr Jessica O’Leary Research Fellow
In memoriam: Dr Pam Oliver (30 september 1945 - 6 November 2021)
The Japanese Studies Association of Australia is saddened by the passing on 6 November 2021 of our colleague Dr Pam Oliver, an adjunct at Monash University, whose work on Japanese-Australia relations is well known to us all. Dr Oliver made signal contributions to knowledge about Australian reactions to Japan in a number of publications. Our members will be familiar with many of her volumes and will have used them regularly in their teaching. She authored, with Paul Jones, Changing Histories: Australia and Japan (Monash Asia Institute, 2000), and with Michael Ackland, Unexpected Encounters: Neglected Histories Behind the Australia-Japan relationship (Monash University Publishing, 2006). Many of us will have read as well her monographs Empty North: the Japanese Presence and Australian Reactions 1860s to 1942 (Charles Darwin University Press, 2006) and Raids on Australia 1942 and Japan's Plans for Australia (Australian Scholarly Publishing, 2010). In addition, her bibliographic guide to the holdings of the National Archives of Australia, Allies, Enemies and Trading Partners: Records on Australia and the Japanese (National Archives of Australia, 2004) has guided many of us, and many of our doctoral students, through the maze of existing archival materials on Australia-Japan Trade relations. With these works, Dr Pam Oliver left an important legacy of scholarship on the history of Australia's engagement with Japan, and of Japan's impact on Australian society, politics and culture. The JSAA honours her memory and her contribution to our field of research.
Upcoming events.
If you wish to forward information regarding events, conferences, job opportunities and the like for this calendar please contact the Secretary Dr Satoshi Nambu.