Queer and Feminist Perspectives on Japanese Popular Cultures Symposium 2026

After the last two years’ success of the Queer and Feminist Perspectives on Japanese Popular Cultures symposium, we are very excited to announce the third edition! Join us in the Fall for another few days of exciting research presentations. ☺️ The symposium will be held online in order to accommodate participants in different time zones. This year again, we invited scholars, researchers, activists, and practitioners from around the world to participate in a multidisciplinary two-day exploration of the intersection between Japanese popular cultures and intersectional, trans-inclusive feminist studies. During this symposium, we will explore the convergence of gender, sexuality, race, queerness, disability and class. We aim to provide a platform for critical discussions about gender and Japanese animation, fashion, video games, literature and digital cultures. In doing so we hope to encourage new directions in feminist approaches to Japanese popular cultures and foster community among researchers from marginalized communities.

This event is supported by the Media, Gender and Sexualities Group, University of Tokyo, Japan and Critical Asian and Middle Eastern Humanities (CAMEH) and the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES), Duke University, US.