Crafting Identities: Femininities and Masculinities in Contemporary Japan

The Italian School of East Asian Studies (ISEAS), in collaboration with the École Française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), is pleased to announce the upcoming workshop:

Crafting Identities: Femininities and Masculinities in Contemporary Japan

November 22 (Saturday), 2025 – 17:00 JST / 09:00 CET

Hybrid format: on site at ISEAS (Kyoto) and on Zoom

In Japan, gender has always been more than a fixed category. Especially in modern and contemporary contexts, it emerges as a dynamic site of negotiation, transformation, and commodification. This workshop brings together scholars exploring how femininities and masculinities are (re)crafted through diverse spheres — from ritual and organized crime to digital spaces, activism, and popular media — highlighting the multiplicity of ways gendered identities are shaped and contested in contemporary Japan.

Speakers include:

• Carmen Sapunaru Tamas (University of Hyogo)

• Martina Baradel (Nagoya University)

• Maiko Kodaka (Sophia University)

• James Welker (Kanagawa University)

• Letizia Guarini (Hosei University)

Chair: Marta Fanasca (University of Bologna)

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required in advance.

Registration: https://forms.gle/Eh8uaj3KNP7V26hE7

Contact: info.iseas@iseas-kyoto.org

We warmly welcome both in-person and online attendees and look forward to your participation.