Cultural interaction between Korea and Japan has become more fluid ever since Korea lifted the ban on importing cultural products from Japan in 1998, and since the Japanese have begun to experience Korean culture more directly through their consumption of Korean popular culture, better known as “Hallyu.” Spurred by this dynamic cultural exchange, scholars in Korea have been actively exploring both pre-modern and modern Korea-Japan relations since the late 1990s. In order to contribute to this thriving scholarship on Korea-Japan cultural relations, the Department of Asian Studies and the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem are hosting an international conference on Korea-Japan cultural interactions from the pre-modern to the colonial period, with special emphasis on transnational perspectives.

The conference aims to open a venue for scholars whose research covers Korea-Japan relations from interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives. Some of the questions the conference would like to explore include (but are not limited to): what has been the role of culture in shaping the relations between Korea and Japan? How can the study of cultural interactions between Korea and Japan contribute to the formation of discourses over unresolved historical issues? Who are the actors and agents of transnational cultural interactions between Korea and Japan? What methodological, theoretical, and empirical approaches would be useful to invigorate the study of Korea-Japan cultural relations? And how do transnational cultural, political, and economic forces shape people’s perceptions of the “Japanese Other,” the “Korean Other,” and themselves?

We welcome individual papers and panel proposals from scholars working in various disciplines including (but not limited to) literature, history, media, language, visual arts and performance, philosophy, religion, etc., whose research interests fit with one or more of the following issues:
- Interactions between Korea and Japan in literature, translation, arts, music, and language
- Exchanges of philosophical and religious thoughts and practices between Korea and Japan
- Images of Korea in Japan/of Japan in Korea
- Koreans in Japan/Japanese in Korea
- Reception of Korean culture in Japan/Reception of Japanese culture in Korea
- Political and economic relations between Korea and Japan

Proposals (both individual and panel proposals), including name, institutional affiliation, the title of the paper, email address, and an abstract of 300 words maximum (with relevant keywords listed), should be sent by January 10, 2015, to koreajapanconference@gmail.com

Successful applicants will be notified by mid-February 2015 and asked to send their working papers of approx. 3,000 words (including bibliography and footnotes) at least three weeks prior to the conference.

Selected participants will be provided with accommodations (hotels and meals) during the conference period; airport pickup upon arrival; and a post-conference tour of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.

The Department of Asian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the oldest of its kind in Israel and is one of the biggest departments in the Faculty of Humanities, home to over 300 students specializing in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Indian Studies. The department is characterized by its excellence in research and teaching, and it maintains an environment of cooperation between students and faculty in a wide array of extracurricular activities. To read more about the department, visit: http://asia.huji.ac.il/en.