Cultural Typhoon 2021
post on : 2021.01.15
Call for papers
Cultural Typhoon (Association for Cultural Typhoon)2021
Cultural Typhoon 2021 will be held in Kanazawa. As many of you may know, this is the first Cultural Typhoon to take place on the west coast of the country, facing the Sea of Japan. Then, why has Cultural Typhoon only taken place on the Pacific side thus far? The reason is simple. It is because typhoons are a natural phenomenon that only occur on the Pacific side of the country. However, this was never a conscious decision on the part of the organizers. Most likely, we just looked at a phenomenon in the Pacific side and automatically concluded that ‘typhoons happen throughout the country’ without ever really stopping to think about the Sea of Japan side. In other words, Cultural Typhoon had developed a kind of unconscious “Pacific Centrism” (likewise, if the event was instead named “Cultural Yellowtail-waker [Winter Thunderstorm]”, it would probably seem somewhat odd to people living in the Pacific side).
We cannot overlook this fact as a mere matter of wordplay or semantics. In modern Japan, the conception of a binary division between “back Japan” (the side facing the Sea of Japan) and “front Japan ” (the side facing the Pacific Ocean) has been used to create a nation centered around the “front Japan/Pacific side”, concentrating resources—people, money, and goods—in that “front” side. Through this process, the country grew to neglect its relations with the rest of Asia, as those were all centered around the Sea of Japan. Thus, the side facing the Sea of Japan became a gateway to war and colonization. This year, by landing our Cultural Typhoon within Kanazawa—a land unaccustomed to the titular phenomenon—we aim to strike back from the “back” against such “Pacific-centrism/front-centrism”.
Have you heard of the short manga ‘Backwater Town Backstreet Cinema’written by Fujiko F. Fujio (born in the Toyama Prefecture)? The story’s protagonist enters the ‘Backwater Town Cinema’ on a back street somewhere in “back Japan.” He intends to watch a double bill of the two blockbuster films ‘South Pole Story (Antarctica)’ and ‘Star Wars’, but—as it turns out—he has actually bought tickets for ‘North Pole Story’ and ‘5tar Wars’. ‘North Pole Story’ explores how the two dogs from ‘South Pole Story (Antarctica)’ were able to survive in the wilderness for one year. In other words, it shines a spotlight upon “those who fell victim” to the two abandoned dogs so that they might survive. In ‘5tar Wars’, we see neither the heroics of Jedi knights nor a grand melodrama between Skywalker father and son. The empire does not strike back and there is no return of the Jedi. It is just the story of an ordinary man (a lumberjack named Yozaaku), who receives the draft from the emperor, and—believing in the myth of an eternal empire—he dies in space. Surely, we too should try to tell such stories—stories hidden at the “back” of the “emotional spectacle.” In other words, this is not just about the Pacific Ocean/Sea of Japan, we must strike back against any and all dominant historical/cultural/political narratives that seek to solely portray matters from the “front” (surface level) alone.
Yes, everyone, this is where we “strike back”. We aren’t just content to adopt an attitude of postmodern relativism that says, “That’s one outlook, but here’s another.” No, we’re eagerly awaiting reports/sessions that declare “It’s not good enough!” and raise a middle finger to those “dominant and surface level stories” that have only ever portrayed matters from the “front”. Indeed, at its heart, Cultural Typhoon has always been about presenting this sort of radical challenge to existent and institutionalized (rooted and rigid) forms of academia. Remember ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ (1982). Now, that was a project in which Paul Gilroy and other graduate students of the day argued that “the kind of nationalistic cultural studies that do not deal with race or black issues aren’t worth shit!” In that sense, this year’s theme of ‘Back’ Strikes Back might be considered a return to those core foundations. For this purpose, if nothing else, we must land our Cultural Typhoon in Kanazawa, in “back Japan.” The situation surrounding that new strain of the coronavirus remains as yet uncertain, but—at the very least—our event should prove more meaningful than an athletic meet in Tokyo. Good fish and sake await. See you in Kanazawa in June 2021!
Cultural Typhoon 2021 Executive Committee Representative: Kenji Inagaki (Kanazawa College of Arts)
[Venue]
Theatre 21, ‘21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa’
Seminar Room A, B, ‘Shiinoki Cultural Complex (Shiinoki Geihinkan)’
[Dates]
June 26th (Sat) and 27th (Sun), 2021
[Schedule]
Feb 10, 2021 (Wed)
Application deadline for presentation proposals.
Mar 15, 2021 (Mon)
Announcement of application results.
Apr 05, 2021 (Mon)
Deadline for fee payments from non-member presenters.
Contact: apply.cultural.typhoon@gmail.com
■ CT2021 About applying for individual / group presentations
[Applications for presentations]
Cultural Typhoon 2021 will be seeking to showcase a broad range of presentations from people both inside and outside Japan. We are looking for ‘individual presentations’, ‘group presentations’ and ‘project works’.
* This is not limited to ACT (Association for Cultural Typhoon) members; non-members can also apply. However, a ‘Paper Presentation Registration Fee’ will be required for presentations made by non-members. Please check the section on [Eligibility for presentation] below.
* Cultural Typhoon 2021 will be an onsite only event, with no online presentations. (In its place, we plan to hold an online workshop for graduate and undergraduate students, post-doctoral researchers and early-career faculty members to present their research.)
* In order to minimise the threat of infection posed by the new coronavirus mutation, there will be a strict limit to the maximum number of attendees allowed at our venue. Thus, there may be a selection process, depending on the number of applications. Furthermore, we can only accept applications to present at one panel per person.
* In light of issues caused by the coronavirus mutation, our selection process will prioritise those who are already in Japan as of the application deadline (Wednesday, February 10) and those who live in countries that are not subject to the new Japanese entry restrictions.
* Please note—in order to minimise the threat of infection—we cannot accept any ‘project works’ which might make it difficult to avoid the Three Cs (Closed spaces, Crowds, and Close contact).
【Application method】
・ To apply for individual presentations / group presentations, please download the application form attached below (for individual presentations / group presentations), then, fill in the required details and send the application to:
apply.cultural.typhoon@gmail.com.
・ To apply for project works, please download the application form attached below (for project works), then, fill in the required details and send the application to:
booth.cultural.typhoon@gmail.com.
Application form (individual presentations)
★2021CFP-Individual-Presentation
Application form (group presentations)
Application form (project works)
[Entry fees for CT2021]
ACT members in category A or non-members in category A
3,000 yen per head
ACT members in category B or non-members in category B
2,000 yen per head
ACT members in category C or student / civilian non-members
1,000 yen per head
〇 Any contributors / presenters without a membership will be required to pay the ‘Paper Presentation Registration Fee’ once their presentation proposal is accepted.
Non-members in employment (corresponding to ACT members in category A)
9,900 yen
Student non-members (corresponding to ACT members in category B or C)
4,900 yen
* Whether it be for individual or group presentations, all contributors / presenters without a membership will be required to pay their ‘Paper Presentation Registration Fee’ in advance.
* The entry fee for CT2021 is included in the ‘Paper Presentation Registration Fee’
<Reference>
・ Category A (annual membership fee 10,000 yen)
Those who work full-time (including tenured positions) at a university or research institution and can claim their membership fees as allowable expenses.
・ Category B (annual membership fee 6,000 yen)
Those who work part-time at a university or research institution, or those who cannot claim their membership fees as allowable expenses.
・ Category C (annual membership fee 4,000 yen)
Students as defined in Article 4 of the regulations of the Association for Cultural Typhoon, workers in non-regular employment or temporary work, and those who have retired from universities or research institutes (or those over 70 years of age).
[Presentation times (a planned schedule subject to potential changes)]
Individual presentations: 20 minutes per presentation + 10 minutes for Q & A
Group presentations: 90 minutes (including time for Q & A)
[Eligibility for presentation]
For presentations made by non-members, a ‘Paper Presentation Registration Fee’ must be paid in advance. The registration fee is 9,900 yen for (full-time) employees and 4,900 yen for students / part-time employees. The entry fee for CT2021 is included in the ‘Paper Presentation Registration Fee’. You will be informed of the payment method of this ‘Paper Presentation Registration Fee’ when we contact you to accept your proposed presentation. In addition, for those who pay the ‘Paper Presentation Registration Fee’ then opt to become an ACT member in 2021, the ‘Paper Presentation Registration Fee’ will be counted as partial payment of the total membership fee.
Please do spread the word about this event. Thank you.
* As before, anybody can apply for participation in other activities (project works = booths, workshops, etc.) outside of paper presentations. However, everybody will be asked to pay an entry fee on the day, including those invited by the applicant.
[Membership application]
Please follow the link below for more information about becoming a member.
Application information: https://cultural-typhoon.com/join/
[Contacts for inquiries regarding presentations]
For inquiries regarding individual and group presentations, please contact: apply.cultural.typhoon@gmail.com.
For inquiries about project works, please contact:
booth.cultural.typhoon@gmail.com.