Job Opening: Program Coordinator (Cultural Diplomacy), Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles

Posted on October 13, 2015 by LM

job opening - 5

Via JETWit mailing list.

POSITION AVAILABLE: Program Coordinator (Cultural Diplomacy)
Employer: Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles
Location: Los Angeles
Education: BA
Deadline: Nov. 6, 2015

About the Job
The Japan Information and Culture Center at the Consulate General of Japan in Los
Angeles seeks to fill a Program Coordinator position to advance our cultural diplomacy
objectives. The ideal candidate should have a firm understanding of Japanese culture
and society, as well as Japan’s foreign policies. The candidate should have strong
communication skills, an event organizing background and outreach capabilities
including the use of social media. The candidate must be able to function as a team
player in a Japanese bureaucracy and understand the role of the Japanese Consulate.
Duties and Responsibilities

  • Assisting in the planning and execution of Consulate-sponsored events
  • Responding to inquiries from the public pertaining to Japan
  • Effectively disseminating informational materials
  • Coordinating with public and non-profit institutions in our outreach efforts
  • Administrative duties and other requirements within the Consulate
  • Reports to the Director of the Japan Information and Culture Center
  • Additional tasks outside of the job description may be required.

Requirements

  • Work authorization in the U.S (no visa support)
  • A Bachelor’s degree with minimum 2-3 years in an office setting
  • Some working experience in either Japan or in a Japanese speaking environment
  • Good knowledge of interest in Japanese culture
  • Former JET Program participants welcomed
  • Clear and concise oral and written communication skills
  • Computer literacy: knowledge of social media
  • Fluency in Japanese acquired through formal education preferred

Original posting here.

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20th Century Japan Research Award for 2015-2016

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Paula

The Nathan and Jeanette Miller Center for Historical Studies and the University of Maryland Libraries invite applications for two $1,500 grants to support research in the library’s Gordon W. Prange Collection and East Asia Collection on topics related to the period of the Allied Occupation of Japan and its aftermath, 1945-1960. Holders of a Ph.D. or an equivalent degree are eligible to apply, as are graduate students who have completed all requirements for the doctorate except the dissertation. The competition is open to scholars in all parts of the world and from any discipline, but historical topics are preferred. University of Maryland faculty, staff, and students may not apply. More information can be found on the Prange Collection website.

The application deadline is November 20, 2015.  The grant must be used by October 28, 2016. Grant funds will be disbursed in the form of reimbursement for travel, lodging, meals, reproductions, and related research expenses. Such costs as computers or software are not eligible. Reimbursement will require submission of receipts for processing by the University.

All applications must be submitted electronically by attachment to millercenter@umd.edu with “Twentieth-Century Japan Research Awards” in the subject line. Applications must include a curriculum vitae and a two-to three-page description (double-spaced) of the research project. Applications from graduate students must be accompanied by a letter from the principal faculty advisor attesting to the significance of the dissertation project and to the student’s completion of all other degree requirements.

Materials in the Gordon W. Prange Collection include virtually all Japanese-language newspapers, news agency releases, magazines, pamphlets, and books dating from the period of Allied censorship, 1945-1949, in addition to over 10,000 newspaper photos.  There are also materials published by Chinese and Korean residents, most of which are written in Japanese.  Related collections in English include the personal papers of Charles Kades and Justin Williams.  Office correspondence documenting policies and decisions of the Publications, Pictorial, and Broadcast Division, Civil Censorship Detachment (Civil Intelligence Section), Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers Japan, are complementary to official Occupation records housed at the National Archives, College Park.  Japanese newspapers and magazines from the Prange Collection are available for research on microform. Other Prange materials are made available for research in the Prange Collection reading area after consultation with the Prange Curator or Manager.  The East Asia Collection contains Japanese-language books published during the wartime period, scholarly monographs on Occupied Japan, and a wide variety of reference works.

 A one-page summary of research findings is required at the conclusion of the grant period and sharing of research findings during an informal lunchtime talk while the recipient is on campus is encouraged.

 For further information about the collections, consult the following websites: http:/www.lib.umd.edu/prange andhttp://www.lib.umd.edu/EASIA/eastasia.html

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Book Announcement: Lovable Losers: The Heike in Action and Memory

Posted on October 11, 2015 by LM

Via University of Hawai’i Press.

9780824846756Lovable Losers: The Heike in Action and Memory

Editor: Adolphson, Mikael S.; Commons, Anne;

344pp. October 2015
Cloth – Price: $55.00
ISBN: 978-0-8248-4675-6

Lovable Losers is the first substantial piece of English-language scholarship to examine the actions and the memorization of the Heike (Ise Taira), a family of aristocratic warriors whose resounding defeat at the hands of the Seiwa Genji in 1185 resulted in their iconic status as tragic losers. The Tale of the Heike and the many other works derived from it set in place the depiction of the Heike as failed upstart aristocrats whose spectacular downfall was due to neglect of their warrior heritage and the villainy of the family head, Taira no Kiyomori.  aims to contextualize and deconstruct representations of the Heike not only to show how such representations were created in specific contexts in response to specific needs, but also to demonstrate that the representations themselves came to create and sustain a particular kind of culture.

Drawing on the expertise of scholars in a variety of disciplines, this volume explores the Heike in their own time and their depiction as cultural figures in the centuries that followed. Their portrayal in literature and the arts spans more than eight hundred years and a wide range of genres and media, including nō plays, picture scrolls, early modern comic books, novels, and film. In texts from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries, the Heike serve as catalysts for miracles and vectors for subtle criticisms of the Tokugawa government. Over time Kiyomori became an emblem of postwar democracy and economic progress; today he is a powerful symbol of modern citizens’ dissatisfaction with politics.

The Heike’s ambiguous moral standing allowed them to be reimagined, reconstructed, and repurposed by different authors in different contexts, as both heroes and villains. Rather than assuming their failure, Lovable Losers repositions the Heike within the larger phenomenon of the Genpei War and its aftermath, demonstrating how they took advantage of their station as nobles and warriors. The new research it presents seeks to transcend categorization and blur the lines between different approaches to the Heike to give a well-rounded depiction of a family who has played a defining role in Japanese culture in action, in memory, and somewhere in between.

28 black & white illustrations

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Job Opening: Japanese Studies, New York University

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Paula

job opening - 5Institution:            New York University Arts and Science, Department of East Asian Studies
Location:              New York, United States
Position:               Assistant Professor of Japanese Studies

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF JAPANESE STUDIES
Department of East Asian Studies
ARTS AND SCIENCES
New York University

The Department of East Asian Studies at New York University invites applications for a tenure-track position at the beginning or advanced assistant professor level in Japanese Studies. The initial appointment begins September 1, 2016, and it is subject to budgetary and administrative approval. This open-field search is part of the revitalization of the Department, and we encourage all applicants engaged with critical and methodological issues connected to Japan and East Asian Studies.

Application must include a letter of application, curriculum vitae, a 20-30 page-writing sample or published article/book chapter, and 3 references. The search committee will begin reviewing applications on November 20, 2015, and will continue until the position is filled. To apply, go to the NYU Department of East Asian Studies web site at http://eas.as.nyu.edu. Instructions can be found under the homepage link “Employment”. Please note that we do not accept applications via email.

EOE/Minorities/Females/Vet/Disabled

Contact:           To apply, go to the NYU Department of East Asian Studies web site at http://eas.as.nyu.edu . Instructions can be found under the homepage link “Employment”. Please note that we do not accept applications via email.

Website:          http://eas.as.nyu.edu

 

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Workshop: Japan Digital Scholarship

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Paula

call for papers [150-2]Advancing Digital Scholarship in Japanese Studies:
Innovations and Challenges

An NCC Workshop
Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7, 2015
Belfer Case Study Room, CGIS, Harvard University

The goals of this workshop are:  

To present innovative uses of digital scholarship in Japanese Studies,
To share experience among those who have created successful digital projects, and
To recommend ways that NCC can create online resources that articulate best practices for scholars and students in developing new digital projects for teaching and research

Major topics of discussion will include:

  • Re-envisioning “Traditional” Scholarship Through GIS:Examples across the Disciplines
  • From Shoebox to Online Showcase:How to build a Digital Image Collection
  • Catching Political Trends Digitally:Tools for handling Big Data or a Politician’s Smile
  • Infrastructures for Digital Scholarship:Growing Born-Digital Collections, plus
  • Transnational Issues in Intellectual Property and Access to Digital Resources

NCC is organizing this workshop and has received funding for its programs from Japan-US Friendship Commission, the Toshiba International Foundation, and the Northeast Asia Council of the AAS.  The Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies has provided support for local logistics, campus arrangements, and hospitality.

To register for this workshop or to inquire about partial travel funding for out-of-town participants please contact vbestor@nccjapan.net.  Pre-registration is required as workshop space will be limited.

To learn more about NCC’s online services and to make use of NCC’s more than 1,000 Webpages

Please Visit NCC’s Website: http://www.nccjapan.org/

 

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Job Opening: East Asian History, Sam Houston State University

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Paula

job opening - 5Institution:       Sam Houston State University
Location:          Texas, United States
Position:           Assistant Professor, East Asian History

The Department of History at Sam Houston State University invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor in the history of East Asia, to begin Fall 2016. Chronological and geographical specializations are open, though we are especially interested in candidates with expertise in China and/or Japan and whose research and teaching incorporate cross-cultural, transnational, comparative, and/or interdisciplinary approaches. Teaching responsibilities include undergraduate and graduate courses in East Asian history and the World History survey. Ph.D. must be completed before the start of the appointment.

To apply, go to https://shsu.peopleadmin.com/postings/13685 and upload a letter of application addressed to Dr. Stephen Rapp, Chair of Search Committee; CV; unofficial graduate transcripts; and two sample syllabi (undergraduate and graduate, both addressing some aspect[s] of East Asian history). Submit the syllabi as one file to the “Writing Sample” link. In addition, three letters of recommendation are to be sent to: historysearch@shsu.edu. Review of applications will begin on November 8, 2015 and continue until the position is filled.

Sam Houston State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Plan Employer and Smoke/Drug-Free Workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, ancestry, marital status, citizenship, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Sam Houston State University is an “at will” employer. Security sensitive positions at SHSU require background checks in accordance with Education Code 51.215.
Contact:           Dr. Stephen Rapp shr002@shsu.edu

Website:          http://www.shsu.edu/academics/history/

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Job Opening: East Asia in the World, Murray State University

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Paula

job opening - 5Institution:       Murray State University, Department of History
Location:          Kentucky, United States
Position:          Assistant Professor, East Asia in the World

The Department of History at Murray State University invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor in the field East Asia in the World. Full-time, nine-month (9), tenure-track position beginning August 2016. Applicants must possess an earned Ph.D. in history by appointment date and be able to teach courses in Chinese and Japanese history. ABDs with a documented plan of completion by appointment date will be considered. The Department welcomes applicants who approach the field from transnational, interdisciplinary or comparative perspectives. We prefer that applicants have a secondary field concentration in history of religion, gender, migration/diaspora or environment. Applicant must be able to teach survey courses in World History and contribute to our undergraduate and master’s degree programs and must show demonstrated or potential for success in teaching, research (resulting in peer-reviewed publications), and professional service. Responsibilities include a twelve-hour teaching load (four courses) per semester, research, and service. Application deadline Nov. 1, 2015. Visithttps://www.murraystatejobs.com/ to apply. Please submit a letter of application addressing the requirements stated in this ad, c.v., and transcripts. Three current letters of reference in .PDF are required and should be emailed by the deadline to: Ms. Kay Hays, Administrative Assistant atkhays@murraystate.edu. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Murray State University is an equal education and employment opportunity, M/F/D, AA employer.

Contact:           Visit https://www.murraystatejobs.com/ to apply. Please submit a letter of application addressing the requirements stated in this ad, c.v., and transcripts. Three current letters of reference in .PDF are required and should be emailed by the deadline to: Ms. Kay Hays, Administrative Assistant at khays@murraystate.edu.

Website:           https://www.murraystatejobs.com/

 

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Book Announcement: The Fluid Pantheon: Gods of Medieval Japan, Volume 1

Posted on October 4, 2015 by LM

Via University of Hawai’i Press.

9780824839338

496pp. December 2015
Cloth – Price: $55.00
ISBN: 978-0-8248-3933-8

Written by one of the leading scholars of Japanese religion, The Fluid Pantheon is the first installment of a multivolume project that promises to be a milestone in our understanding of the mythico-ritual system of esoteric Buddhism—specifically the nature and roles of deities in the religious world of medieval Japan and beyond. Bernard Faure introduces readers to medieval Japanese religiosity and shows the centrality of the gods in religious discourse and ritual; in doing so he moves away from the usual textual, historical, and sociological approaches that constitute the “method” of current religious studies. The approach considers the gods (including buddhas and demons) as meaningful and powerful interlocutors and not merely as cyphers for social groups or projections of the human mind. Throughout he engages insights drawn from structuralism, post-structuralism, and Actor-network theory to retrieve the “implicit pantheon” (as opposed to the “explicit orthodox pantheon”) of esoteric Japanese Buddhism (Mikkyō).

Through a number of case studies, Faure describes and analyzes the impressive mythological and ritual efflorescence that marked the medieval period, not only in the religious domain, but also in the political, artistic, and literary spheres. He displays vast knowledge of his subject and presents his research—much of it in largely unstudied material—with theoretical sophistication. His arguments and analyses assume the centrality of the iconographic record, and so he has brought together in this volume a rich and rare collection of more than 180 color and black-and-white images. This emphasis on iconography and the ways in which it complements, supplements, or deconstructs textual orthodoxy is critical to a fuller comprehension of a set of medieval Japanese beliefs and practices. It also offers a corrective to the traditional division of the field into religious studies, which typically ignores the images, and art history, which oftentimes overlooks their ritual and religious meaning.

The Fluid Pantheon and its companion volumes should persuade readers that the gods constituted a central part of medieval Japanese religion and that the latter cannot be reduced to a simplistic confrontation, parallelism, or complementarity between some monolithic teachings known as “Buddhism” and “Shinto.” Once these reductionist labels and categories are discarded, a new and fascinating religious landscape begins to unfold.

105 color and 87 black & white illustrations

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Book Announcement: Protectors and Predators: Gods of Medieval Japan, Volume 2

Posted on October 4, 2015 by LM

Via University of Hawai’i Press.

9780824839314

Protectors and Predators: Gods of Medieval Japan, Volume 2

Author: Faure, Bernard;

584pp. December 2015
Cloth – Price: $55.00
ISBN: 978-0-8248-3931-4

Written by one of the leading scholars of Japanese religion, Protectors and Predators is the second installment of a multivolume project that promises to be a milestone in our understanding of the mythico-ritual system of esoteric Buddhism—specifically the nature and roles of deities in the religious world of medieval Japan and beyond. Bernard Faure introduces readers to medieval Japanese religiosity and shows the centrality of the gods in religious discourse and ritual. Throughout he engages theoretical insights drawn from structuralism, post-structuralism, and Actor-Network Theory to retrieve the “implicit pantheon” (as opposed to the “explicit orthodox pantheon”) of esoteric Japanese Buddhism (Mikkyō). His work is particularly significant given its focus on the deities’ multiple and shifting representations, overlappings, and modes of actions rather than on individual characters and functions.

In Protectors and Predators Faure argues that the “wild” gods of Japan were at the center of the medieval religious landscape and came together in complex webs of association not divisible into the categories of “Buddhist,” “indigenous,” or “Shinto.” Furthermore, among the most important medieval gods, certain ones had roots in Hinduism, others in Daoism and Yin-Yang thought. He displays vast knowledge of his subject and presents his research—much of it in largely unstudied material—with theoretical sophistication. His arguments and analyses assume the centrality of the iconographic record as a complement to the textual record, and so he has brought together a rich and rare collection of more than 170 color and black-and-white images. This emphasis on iconography and the ways in which it complements, supplements, or deconstructs textual orthodoxy is critical to a fuller comprehension of a set of medieval Japanese beliefs and practices and offers a corrective to the traditional division of the field into religious studies, which typically ignores the images, and art history, which oftentimes overlooks their ritual and religious meaning.

Protectors and Predators and its companion volumes should persuade readers that the gods constituted a central part of medieval Japanese religion and that the latter cannot be reduced to a simplistic confrontation, parallelism, or complementarity between some monolithic teachings known as “Buddhism” and “Shinto.” Once these reductionist labels and categories are discarded, a new and fascinating religious landscape begins to unfold.

84 color and 88 black & white illustrations

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Job Openings: Teach English in Japan with MeySen Academy

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Paula

job opening - 5Job Title: Teach English in Japan with MeySen Academy
Company: MeySen Academy in Japan

Are you considering staying in Japan? If you are, you should consider MeySen Academy, in Sendai, Japan!

We are interviewing NOW for opportunities that will begin this February!!

http://www.meysen.ac.jp/en/default.htm

For information about our job descriptions, benefits and our online
application, please see this direct link to this portion of our website:
http://www.meysen.ac.jp/en/available_positions.htm

Which opportunity should you consider?

Premier School Elementary Teacher and Premier School Kindergarten Teacher
–> Both of these are for someone with an educational background in Early Childhood
Education and/or Elementary Education. We have openings from this February 2016.

Friends Club Teacher –>For those who do not have a background in
Education. This is good for someone who has an A.A. degree or higher, in any field, but has experience working with children in some form or fashion. Openings from February 2016!

Thank you for your interest!

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