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2012年6月 月次レポート（マヤ?ヴォドピヴェッツ オランダ）
Report on the third month of my research at Leiden Institute of Asian Studies (LIAS), June 2012
Maja Vodopivec
In June at Leiden University there were no lectures, only exams. So, whole my time I spent in Leiden University's libraries and researching the contemporary social and political theory. While trying to brush up my paper presented at the conference held at SOAS, University of London (Making a Difference: Representing/Constructing the Other in Asian/African Media, Cinema and Languages; Annual Conference for the Consortium for African and Asian Studies in the period 16-18 February, 2012) - where I presented under the auspicious of the the OFIAS-TUFS short-term program, I found it necessary to research more on possible theoretical frameworks for the discussions on the "other" and "translationism" in Japan, in other words - how and where in contemporary social and political theory to position Kato's concepts of hybridity and translationism. In that sense, I found especially instructive the information in the following recent publications:
1. Janoski Thomas,Alford Robert et.al, 2005, The Handbook of Political Sociology, Cambridge University Press, chapters "Globalization" (McMichael, Philip) and "The Linguistic Turn" (Jacob Torfing, Jacob)
2. Taylor Graham, 2010, The New Political Sociology - Power, Ideology and Identity in the Age of Complexity, Palgrave Macmillan
3. Delanti, Gerard and Turner, P.Stephen, 2011, Routledge International Handbook of Contemporary Social and Political Theory, chapter "Modernity: From convergence and stability to plurality and transformation" (Wagner, Peter)
I also found related to my whole research on the postwar intellectual history of Japan, the following chapters from the above mentioned Routledge handbook:
1. Patrick Baert and Joel Isaac: "Intellectuals and society: Sociological and historical perspectives,
2. Moya Loyd: "From linguistic performativity to social performance: The development of a concept",
3. Steven Grosby: "Nationalism and social theory: The distinction between community and society",
4. Sheila Nair: "Sovereignty, security and the exception: Towards situating postcolonial homo sacer", and
5. Daniel Levy: "Memory, practices and theory in a global age".
What I also researched more in depth was Kato's contemplation on translation in the: Maruyama Masao, Katō Shūichi, Nihon no shisō, Nihon kindai shisō taikei 15 (1991, Iwanami shoten). So far I mostly used the "condensed version" of this book: Maruyama Masao, Katō Shūichi, Honyaku to nihon no kindai (1998, Iwanami shinsho). However, in the Nihon no shisō there are much more details and information on the problematic. Since the Japanese used in the old text is not always easy, I need considerable time to devote only to researching "translation" problematics in depth. I also need to do more theoretical research on the topic. As a classic work on it I should pay attention to Walter Benjamin's The Task of a Translator.
In the first half of July I plan to work on a chapter I was asked to contribute to the publication of Leiden University - "Global Challenges: Peace", (6000 words), on the Asia-Pacific War. I will use collective memories theoretical framework for describing the actuality of the topic, historical revisionism problematic and Japan's postwar Pacifism. I will mostly use Kato's writings. In the second half of July I will continue the research on translation.
A necessary new "chapter" for my future research would be Japan's "Heiwa-ron" (including works of Hidaka Rokuro, Oda Makoto, Oe Kenzaburo, Sakai Naoki and others) , and positioning Kato's "Heiwa-ron" among them.
About two weeks ago I met a newly hired lecturer of Japanese modern thought at LIAS - Dr. Bryce Wakefield. He will start lecturing on the influence of postwar intellectuals' debates on Japan's foreign policy, from the end of August - so I am looking forward to attend those lectures which should be very relevant for my research.