Call for Presenters: Symposium on Humanistic Approaches to the Study of Premodern Japanese Law

Japan Past & Present (JPP) is pleased to invite paper proposals for a symposium on the theme “Humanistic Approaches to the Study of Premodern Japanese Law,” to be hosted bilingually in Japanese and English at UCLA on Sept 26-27, 2025.

The study of premodern Japanese law often begins with law codes and legal documents, their form and function. In recent decades, scholars have also begun to think about the social life of the law—the ways in which law reverberates through social structures and practices, and how it is lived in ways that inevitably exceed or diverge from its text. This socio-cultural turn, in turn, has inspired studies of law’s place in culture. Recent research has begun to explore how law is performed in courts and in drama, used metaphorically in literature, woven into religion, and implicated in expressions, performances, and expectations of gender. We invite proposals for papers that address the complex intersections and fluid boundaries between law, culture, and the humanities in premodern Japan (focusing primarily pre-1600). 

The Yanai Initiative will cover the cost of travel and accommodations for accepted speakers. The symposium will include time for discussion of Law Codes in Japanese History, a forthcoming project of JPP’s Premodern Japan Collaborative.

Paper titles and proposal abstracts (approximately 300-400 words in English or 600-800 characters Japanese) and a CV of no more than 2 pages should be submitted via email to pjc@japanpastandpresent.org by July 15, 2025, 11:59 PM (PT). 

The languages of the symposium will be English and Japanese, and presentations will be primarily in-person with limited access for remote participation. Proposals will be reviewed, and notifications sent out, by the end of July. Please address any questions to Dr. Nadia Kanagawa (pjc@japanpastandpresent.org) and Dr. Paula Curtis (admin@japanpastandpresent.org).

Deadline:

July 15, 2025, 11:59pm PT
July 16, 2025, 15:59 JT