International Symposium: Mutal Perceptions in Japanese-German Relations - Images, Imaginings, and Stereotypes

This conference explores the development of mutual perceptions in Japanese-German relations and analyzing the influence of the visual imagery on the bilateral relationship between the two countries. Japanese-German relations had their beginnings in the Eulenburg mission to Japan in 1860/61 and will soon be able to look back on a history spanning 150 years. The history of the relationship between these two major countries has been receiving increasing attention in academic research as well as in the public arena, with new interpretations and assessments emerging. However, previous research has focused strongly on diplomatic and economic relations between Japan and Germany. This conference proposes studying the relationship from the perspective of “mutual images” – analyzing Japanese-German relations from the angle of mutual perceptions, with emphasis on the investigation of visual sources.

Date: Saturday/Sunday, 4-5 December 2010
Place: OAG-Haus, German Cultural Center

Organized by:
Sophia University, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Natur- und Völkerkunde Ostasiens (OAG)

Supported by:
The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES)
Goethe-Institute Tokyo
The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany