Group items tagged

"Local meanings in global space: a case study of women's 'Boy love' web sites in Japanese and English"

"'BL' (Boys' Love), a genre of male homosexual narratives (consisting of manga, novels, animations, games, films, and so forth) written by and for women, has recently been acknowledged, by Japanese and non-Japanese scholars alike, as a significant component of Japanese popular culture. The aesthetic and style of Japanese BL have also been assumed, deployed and transformed by female fans transnationally. The current thrust of transnational BL practices raises a number of important issues relating to socio/cultural constructs of BL localization and globalization. Scholarly endeavors in relation to BL can be enriched by further research concerning the activities of transnational BL fans, fan communities, fandom, and the production of fan fiction. Most previous BL fan studies have remained circumscribed to Japan and North America. Therefore, in order to further develop transnational BL fan studies, we are seeking contributors who are engaged in the exploration of non-Japanese and non-North American contexts (e.g. Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, Africa, and others). Transnational BL fan studies may also be incorporated into the broader socio/political critical frameworks offered by studies in economics, gender/sexuality, race/class, and other areas. "

For those who are studying fandom and Boy's Love, this might be an opportunity to share your researches!

by David Leheny

by David Leheny "Since the Meiji Restoration, successive Japanese governments have stressed the nation's need to act like a "real" (that is, a Western) advanced industrial power. As part of their express desire to catch up, generations of policymakers have examined the ways Americans and Europeans relax or have fun, then tried to persuade Japanese citizens to behave in similar fashion-while subtly redefining these recreational choices as distinctively "Japanese." In tracing the development of leisure politics and the role of the state in cultural change, the author focuses on the importance of international norms and perceptions of Japanese national identity. Leheny regards globalization as a "failure of imagination" on the part of policymakers. When they absorb lessons from Western nations, they aim for a future that has already been revealed elsewhere rather than envision a locally distinctive lifestyle for citizens."

The JapAniManga Night is much smaller than Polymanga but the main j-pop fair in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. It takes place in a former 19th century army building in Winthertur, near Zürich. Everyone there speaks both Swiss-German, English and...Japanese! The event lasts 48 hours non-stop. The organizers also offer 3 types of accomodation (in the rooms of the building, in the local nuclear shelter or, you can also lay in sleeping bag on the floor in the building). With only about 500-600 visitors, the atmosphere is really cosy and a bit like a big family gathering. Quite a different experience from the Polymanga and other huge fairs!

Partial Copy Detection for Line Drawings by Local Feature Matching