SYMPOSIUM: Japanese Reflections on the History of Sport

Japanese Reflections on the History of Sport
One-day Symposium
Wednesday 8 September 2010


Organised by the International Centre for Sport History and Culture, De
Montfort University, Leicester, UK


The history of sport has its origins in the UK and North America and has
subsequently been dominated by themes specific to each region such as class
in the UK and ethnicity in North America. This symposium highlights original
research by Japanese scholars that sheds new perspectives on sports history.
Rather than offer comparisons between the UK and Japan, it brings a
distinctly Japanese viewpoint, underlining Edward Said¹s idea of
ŒOrientalism¹. Said had argued that perceptions of Japan and Asia more
generally had been shaped by the West¹s distinctly romantic and exotic view
of the Asian continent. As a result, much of the earlier links between
Europe and Japan have been overlooked. This symposium highlights the process
of adaptation and acculturation of Western sports since the late 19th
century within a Japanese context. It explores issues such as the body in
Japanese society, the role of the military, the media, amateurism and
gender, emphasising the historical significance importance of language,
geography and imperialism.


Programme:


11.00-11.15 Introduction


11.15-11.55 Dr Keiko Ikeda, Yamaguchi University ŒThe Body: A Historical
Perspective¹


11.55- 12.35 Dr Hiroo Sasaki, Ryukoku University ŒChanges in Body and
Health Values along with Modernization of Japan¹


12.35-1.15 Dr Miho Koishihara, Kokushikan University, Tokyo ŒThe
Emergence of the ³Sporting Girl²: Narrative of Athletic Bodies in Japanese
Girls¹ Magazines of the 1920s and 1930s¹


1.15-2.15 Lunch


2.15-2.45 Daishi Funaba, PhD Student, Yamaguchi University ŒFrom
Sporting Amateurism to Fascism under the Period of Japanese Imperialism¹


2.45-3.15 Dr Masayuki Ishii, Waseda University, Japan, ³ŒSportsmanship²
in the Press in the late 19th and early 20th Century¹


3.15-3.30 Tea


3.30-4.00 Roundtable Discussion


The cost of symposium will be £10


To register and for further details contact James Panter: jpanter@dmu.ac.uk