Call for Papers: Forging Faith(s) in Global Borderlands, UC Santa Barbara

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Travis

Call for Papers

The 5th Biennial Borderlands International Graduate Student Conference: Forging Faith(s) in Global Borderlands

University of California, Santa Barbara
March 11-13, 2016.

The Borderlands Research Focus Group at the University of California, Santa Barbara invites graduate scholars from all disciplines to submit abstracts for papers addressing the theme of Forging Faith(s) in Global Borderlands. Borderlands are spaces where people of different ethnicities, cultures, religions, political systems, or linguistic traditions come into contact, often without any one authority exercising complete control. We also acknowledge that borderlands needn’t necessarily be physical spaces but can be conceptual or metaphorical areas of contestation, thus allowing a diversity of approaches.

The 2016 Borderlands International Graduate Student Conference seeks papers that address the ways that borderlands encounters have stimulated the creation, definition, and/or adaptation of faith identities among various groups of people. This topic encompasses a variety of inquiry into the role of faith(s) in borderlands, from formal religious affiliations to loosely defined mystical practices, and from folk religions to new age spiritual syncretism. We are interested in how borderlands interactions affect faith communities and how those communities utilize borderlands contexts for the fashioning of group identity. Some topics of interest to the conference organizers include, but are not limited to, belief and practice, persecution and diaspora, orthodoxy and heresy, and conflict and accommodation.

The study of borderlands is well suited to an interdisciplinary approach, thus the conference seeks to include a range of disciplinary perspectives and methodologies. Papers are welcome from scholars in history, anthropology, art history, theology, religious studies, literature, linguistics and all related disciplines. We also encourage, but do not require, papers that engage with theorists whose work has relevance for borderlands studies, such as: Gloria Anzaldúa, Fredrick Barth, Daniel Boyarin, Bradley Parker, Pierre Bourdieu, Gayatri Charkravorty Spivak, Thomas Tweed, and Jeffrey Jerome Cohen. We welcome proposals for individual papers or full panels that address the conference theme in any geographical region or historical period.

Please send a 300-word abstract to UCSBborderlands2016@gmail.com by January 8, 2016. If you are submitting a proposal for a full panel (3-4 papers) please send all abstracts together. If accepted, each paper presentation should be between 15 and 20 minutes long. Limited travel funds may be available for those who cannot secure funding from their home institution.

This year’s conference theme is inspired by the late Tom Sizgorich (1970–2011), a graduate of UCSB’s History PhD program and Professor of History at UC Irvine, whose research focused on the interaction of early Islam and Late Antique Christianity. His 2008 book, Violence and Belief in Late Antiquity: Militant Devotion in Christianity and Islam, argued for a reconsideration of the relationship between these two groups, seeing it as an ongoing conversation about religious identity informed by interaction among neighboring communities. His posthumously published research on the ways in which Muslims and Christians living within the first Muslim empires imagined, fantasized about, and narrated their relationships with each other has been path breaking. Tom’s work and its theoretical trajectories are, we believe, deserving of further consideration in the context of borderlands studies and this conference is meant to recognize and celebrate his efforts.

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Resource: JREC-IN

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Travis

I was recently introduced to the website JREC-IN, a portal for job listings in university teaching and research fields in Japan.

As tenure track positions here in the US (I apologize, I’m not familiar with the situations in Canada, UK, Europe, Aus/NZ, and elsewhere) become more difficult to reliably obtain, and as Japan (Even amid the downsizing of humanities departments, which we should either be terribly concerned about, or which has all been a big misunderstanding) continues to expand programs of courses taught in English, I for one am intending to keep my options open to look at jobs in Japan, and not only here in the US, once I finish my PhD. There is certainly plenty to say about the pros and cons of teaching in Japan, and that may make for a worthwhile blog post topic for another day, if we can find someone with expertise or experience in the matter.

But, for those who are looking for some sort of university teaching or research job in Japan, JREC-IN seems to be a great place to look. I’m kind of surprised to have never been introduced to it earlier.

I have not yet had a chance to explore the site too fully, so I apologize that this will not be a thorough or definitive guide to its use, but rather merely an introduction to the fact that the site exists.

As with many Japanese websites, there is an English version, as well as an English-language Help FAQ. And while my first tentative tests of the site in English seem to have yielded good results, I suspect it may be more fruitful to search in Japanese – after all, this is a general site for Japanese job listings, not one specifically catering only to English-language positions. A search for “okinawa,” for example, yielded 37 results, while one for 「沖縄」 yielded 288.

The site allows you to narrow your search by a number of different criteria, including:
*Academic discipline
*Institution type (e.g. public vs. private university, public vs. private corporation)
*Location within Japan
*Job type (e.g. executive; engineer; assistant, associate, or full professor)
*Employment status (full-time vs. part-time, tenure track vs. not)

A sample search, which you can see above, with the search terms 日本 AND (歴史 OR 文化), yielded results including a post-doc at Ritsumeikan’s Art Research Center (one of the preeminent institutions helping to catalog & digitize ukiyo-e collections around the world); an adjunct 非常勤講師 position in the Manga Department at Kyoto Seika University, which is associated with the International Manga Museum; and an associate professor 准教授 position in the International Education & Cooperation Center at Kwansei Gakuin University.

Click through to the individual job descriptions, and you’ll find much, if not all, of the information you’d be looking for from a job listing – job description, qualifications, job type and status (e.g. associate professor, part-time), compensation, application deadlines, date the posting was posted or updated, application process, and so forth.

The site is run by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and as one might expect, the overwhelming majority of the jobs listed are in STEM fields. To give just a couple of examples, a tentative sample search in English for “okinawa” as the keyword, with nothing else specified, yielded 37 results, including one for EFL instructors, one in Linguistics, and 35 in STEM. And, a search on the English version of the website for jobs in “History” or “Art Studies” as the disciplines, with no keywords specified, yielded only two positions on that particular day. But, then, you never know.

The site also allows you to create an account, through which you can:
*keep and manage watchlists of job listings
*maintain a profile, and receive emails from potential employers
*apply online to certain positions
*make use of e-learning resources on the site

I’m afraid I have not delved into these Account Features, so I can’t comment on them further. But, if any of you make use of this site, please let us know in the comments about these extra features, and about your experience with the site.

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Job Opening: Tenured position at Kyushu University

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Paula

job opening - 5Department: International Student Center (ISC), Kyushu University (KU)

Position: Professor (Tenured) or Associate Professor (Tenured)

Job description

The ISC position includes the following responsibilities regarding study abroad (includes accepting students to Kyushu University [KU] and sending students from KU):

1. Provide KU international students and students studying abroad from KU with academic advice to guide their adaptation to an intercultural environment.

2. Provide KU international students and students studying abroad from KU with academic advice to facilitate their study and research at the undergraduate and graduate level.

3. Supervise KU activities and projects relating to the responsibilities given above.

4. Offer lectures for short-term and other programs.

5. Contribute as a faculty member in other areas necessary for the effective functioning of the ISC.

Compensation: Compensation will include commuting costs to the university, a local supplement, and end-of-term bonuses in addition to a basic salary paid monthly, all to be determined in accordance with the University’s wage ranking.

Date Position Available: May 1, 2016, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The deadline for applications is February 19, 2016.

For more information, see the announcement here:

http://www.isc.kyushu-u.ac.jp/center/201512_kouboyouryou.pdf

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End of Year Cleaning and Suggestions

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Paula
Actual picture of my To Do list, about to be filled.

Actual picture of my To Do list, about to be filled.

As the end of the year rapidly approaches, we’re taking stock of things here at Shinpai Deshou– we’ve updated all of our links on each page and are tweaking things here and there in our layout to make accessibility easier for our readers. We’ve added some great new additions to the site this year, such as our list of English-language journals on Japan/Asia, how-to guides for  living/apartment rental in Japan, articles on topics like how to use your Japanese in the legal field, and a series of resource articles about sites to use for job hunting, among many more!

More importantly, we also want to hear from you! What are some of the things you’d like to see in the coming year? What are you curious about? What sort of resources would you like more of? Do you have recommendations for us? Is there a site that’s been extra helpful to you? Do you want to write an article? Do you want to force someone you know to write an article? 😉 Let us know! We don’t hear enough from our readers and are always looking to improve on what our site can do for you. Please let us know in the comments or an email addressed to shinpai.deshou@gmail.com. You can also reach us via our Facebook page or Twitter.

Best wishes for a happy new year, everyone!

~Paula

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Call For Papers: Constructing Masculinities in Asia

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Paula

call for papers [150-2]The University of San Francisco Center for Asia Pacific Studies is pleased to announce the call for papers for “Constructing Masculinities in Asia” a conference to be held at the University of San Francisco on Thursday, November 3 and Friday, November 4, 2016.

With this conference, the Center plans to provide a forum for interdisciplinary discussion and the sharing of the latest research on issues related to the construction of masculinities in Greater China, Japan, Korea, India, and the Philippines. Scholars working the contemporary period are especially encouraged to apply.  Possible themes include empire, nation, and globalization, gender identity, sexuality, medicine, masculinity in advertising, media, and pop culture.

All participants will be expected to provide a draft of their paper approximately 3 weeks before the conference to allow discussants adequate time to prepare their comments before the conference.

Papers must represent original work not already published or in press. Participants will be invited to submit their paper for consideration in the Center’s peer-reviewed journal, Asia Pacific Perspectives. For more information, visit:https://www.usfca.edu/asia-pacific/perspectives

To Apply:

Deadline:  Application review will begin on January 4, 2016, and continue until all panels are filled.

Interested applicants should email the following to centerasiapacific@usfca.edu, subject line, “Constructing Masculinities in Asia”:

  • 300 word (maximum) abstract
  • Curriculum Vitae

Please share this call with any scholars that may be interested.

Contact for Questions:

Melissa S. Dale, Ph.D.
Executive Director & Assistant Professor
University of San Francisco Center for Asia Pacific Studies
mdale3@usfca.edu

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Funding: Graduate Student Grants at Kyushu University

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Paula

money [150-2]Please see below for a scholarship opportunity for 3 months to 12 months study at either the graduate or undergraduate level at Kyushu University.

http://www.isc.kyushu-u.ac.jp/intlweb/admission/scholarship-e

a partial summary of the information on the webpage:

1) Eligibility:

Undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in a non-Japanese university that is recognized as a leading university in that country and has been producing graduates playing an active part as leaders within every sector of society.

Term of Study: 3 to 12 months
※Both your period of enrollment at Kyushu University and the length of stay in Japan must be for more than 16 days of the month concerned in order to receive a monthly stipend.

2) Number of Students:

Less than 8 people within the budget for each of two terms.

●Classification of Grants

Grants are as follows in principle.

1) Travel expenses

Travel expenses up to 100,000 yen, will be covered (actual costs). However, this depends on the budget of Kyushu University. The details are as follows:

  1. a) Round-trip economy air ticket via the most direct route between Fukuoka and the location of the recipient’s university. Air tickets and transportation fees in the recipient’s home country will not apply unless receipts and other proof of purchase are made.
  2. b) Incidental Expenses Only expenses incurred through visas, travel taxes, and airport taxes will be borne by Kyushu University. In the event that receipts and proof of payment are not submitted, these expenses will not be covered.

2) Amount of Scholarships

80,000 yen per month for undergraduate students
100,000 yen per month for graduate students

———————

This scholarship could be used for credit at the home institution while studying as a kenkyūsei at Kyushu University.

Our graduate program at Kyushu University, the International MA Program (IMAP) in Japanese Humanities, accepts students for an MA with all courses taught in English (and the option of taking courses taught in Japanese for credit). Qualified students may also apply to study as kenkyūsei (research students) for shorter periods.

Before requesting our support for this scholarship, students should familiarize themselves with the special features of our MA program by reviewing  the brochure and application information found here:

http://www2.lit.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/impjh/

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Book Announcement: Emperor Hirohito and the Pacific War

Posted on December 27, 2015 by LM

kawempVia University of Washington Press.

Emperor Hirohito and the Pacific War

NORIKO KAWAMURA

paperback not available
$34.95 HARDCOVER (9780295995175) ADD TO CART

PUBLISHED: November 2015
SUBJECT LISTING: Asian Studies / Japan; History; Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: 248 pp., 6 bandw, 6 x 9 in.
CONTENTS

This reexamination of the controversial role Emperor Hirohito played during the Pacific War gives particular attention to the question: If the emperor could not stop Japan from going to war with the Allied Powers in 1941, why was he able to play a crucial role in ending the war in 1945? Drawing on previously unavailable primary sources, Noriko Kawamura traces Hirohito’s actions from the late 1920s to the end of the war, analyzing the role Hirohito played in Japan’s expansion. Emperor Hirohito emerges as a conflicted man who struggled throughout the war to deal with the undefined powers bestowed upon him as a monarch, often juggling the contradictory positions and irreconcilable differences advocated by his subordinates. Kawamura shows that he was by no means a pacifist, but neither did he favor the reckless wars advocated by Japan’s military leaders.

NORIKO KAWAMURA is associate professor of history at Washington State University. She is the author of Turbulence in the Pacific: Japanese-U.S. Relations during World War I.

“Kawamura offers a novel perspective on the role of Emperor Hirohito in the Pacific War and in the years which preceded it. Based on new and reappraised sources, she draws a human portrait of him, different from the caricatures that have been presented until now.”
-Ben-Ami Shillony, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

“This is a strong book. It sets out in careful detail the maneuvering in and about the emperor on the key issues of the war, and it comes to considered judgments.”
-Richard Minear, University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Job Opening: Gallery Associate, Japan Society

Posted on December 26, 2015 by LM

job opening - 5Employer: Japan Society
Location: New York City
Posted Dec. 15, 2015
Education: BA required, MA preferred


Job description

Established in 1907, New York’s Japan Society is an internationally recognized nonprofit, nonpolitical organization that provides access to information on Japan, offers opportunities to experience Japanese culture, and fosters sustained and open dialogue on issues important to the United States, Japan, and East Asia.

Gallery Associate

Reporting to the Gallery Director and Curator of Exhibition Interpretation, the Gallery Associate is an essential member of Japan Society’s Gallery team. S/he will provide key administrative support for the Gallery department, and oversee the day-to-day business details of the Gallery Director’s office. S/he will assist the Gallery Director, in collaboration with the Development department, in managing relations with individual and institutional supporters. Working closely with the Curator of Exhibition Interpretation and Exhibition Manager, the Gallery Associate will assist in the organization and implementation of curatorial initiatives, including large special exhibitions as well as a smaller, newly developed series of Gallery projects. S/he will liaise with partner institutions on touring and co-organized exhibitions, and work closely with the Communications team at Japan Society to craft the Gallery’s social media presence.

Other essential duties and responsibilities include:

  • Work with the Gallery Director to develop professional relationships between Japan Society Gallery and colleagues in the field
  • Assist the Gallery Director, in collaboration with the Development Department, in organizing Friends of the Gallery events
  • Organize and oversee courtesy services for supporters, outside curators, artists, lecturers and other guests of the Gallery, in conjunction with other members of the Gallery team
  • Serve as a liaison between the Gallery team and other in-house teams to coordinate advertising, promotional materials, digital media, special events during special exhibitions, etc.
  • Coordinate and attend press previews in collaboration with Communication team
  • Liaise with Development team to plan and manage VIP previews, opening receptions, and other special Gallery events
  • Provide assistance on curatorial work including, but not limited to, research of artworks, artists, exhibitions; preparation of lectures and exhibition proposals; and editing printed materials
  • Assist Gallery Director and Curator of Exhibition Interpretation to launch new series of curatorial programs
  • Oversee daily administrative duties as required.

Qualifications

  • Bachelors degree (Masters degree preferable) and a minimum of 2 to 4 years related administrative or curatorial experience in art
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Japanese
  • Proficient in MS Office programs, FileMaker, and Photoshop applications. Experience using Raiser’s Edge and/or Patron’s Edge a plus
  • Knowledge of social media
  • Knowledge of Asian culture including Japanese art and culture

Full posting on Idealist.org.

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Job Opening: Database Administrator, Japan Society

Posted on December 26, 2015 by LM

job opening - 5Employer: Japan Society
Location: New York City
Posted Dec. 15, 2015
Education: BA required

Job description

Established in 1907, New York’s Japan Society is an internationally recognized nonprofit, nonpolitical organization that provides access to information on Japan, offers opportunities to experience Japanese culture, and fosters sustained and open dialogue on issues important to the U.S., Japan, and East Asia.

Database Administrator

Reporting to the Director, IT, Building and House Operations, the Database Administrator will work closely with the Development team and the Finance department, and play a key role in optimizing use of Japan Society’s constituent database, Raiser’s Edge. Duties include providing overall coordination and support to all Raiser’s Edge users, responding to data requests, and managing day-to-day RE operations ensuring the security, accuracy, and integrity of data.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following.

  • Oversee operations in Japan Society’s constituent database, Raiser’s Edge, box office database Patron Edge, its online component Patron Edge Online, and online registration and donation platform, NetCommunity Spark.
  • Process and post gifts to Raiser’s Edge and submit appropriate documentation to Finance department. Assist in reconciliation, adjustments, and other financial reporting as needed.
  • Create funds, campaigns and appeals in line with the organization’s budget structure and the Finance department coding system.
  • Provide data for marketing strategies, including producing lists and sorting data for data analysis, annual report, prospect analysis and appeal/campaign analysis. Implement systems for reporting data to staff.
  • Provide Raiser’s Edge training to new staff and interns and assist current users.
  • Recommend, develop, and maintain Raiser’s Edge policies and procedures. Manage all staff in usage of Raiser’s Edge, Patron Edge and NetCommunity Spark.
  • Manage mailing lists in Raiser’s Edge.
  • Produce regular and special reports in response to organizational needs; work closely and proactively with users, making recommendations and assisting in the design and analysis of reports and data. Respond effectively to report requests, communicating needs, timeframes, scope and limitations of projects.
  • Provide expertise and technical support to end-users on Raiser’s Edge issues; identify, research, and resolve technical problems, work with outside vendors/technical support as needed, and document, track and monitor problems to ensure timely resolution.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s degree in a related area, and a minimum of three years related database experience (preferably in a non-profit environment); strong computer skills with expertise in Raiser’s Edge; excellent communication skills, with ability to communicate technical concepts and present information efficiently and clearly; excellent analytical and organizational skills with ability to manage multiple projects and priorities. Previous experience in development is a plus. Experience in managing online giving platforms and/or box office software is a plus. A strong and demonstrated commitment to providing excellent customer service and quality improvement is essential.

Full details on Idealist.org.

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Happy Holidays!

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Paula

treeHappy holidays from Shinpai Deshou!

Things are finally getting chilly here in Tokyo, but we hope you’re having a safe and warm holiday season wherever you are!

🙂

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