2026 AJJ Annual Conference
May 23-24th, 2026
Akita University
Conference Theme
Entanglements and Embodiments: Anthropology, Ethnography and Sensing Japan
Location
The conference will be held at Akita University’s Tegata Campus (walking distance from Akita Station and bus station with a convenient bus connection from Akita Airport)
Keynote Address
“Anthropology of Japan in Japanese Anthropology before and after AJJ”
delivered by Nakamaki Hirochika, Professor Emeritus, National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku)
Call for Papers
The theme for this year’s AJJ meeting is influenced by the work of phenomenologically oriented anthropologists such as Tim Ingold, Paul Stoller, and Thomas Csordas. In differing ways, they are all anthropologists who place perception and interpretation at the core of their ethnographic writing and theoretical explorations. However, as is AJJ tradition, one need not be limited to their work or interpretations to submit a panel or paper.
Overall, we would like to invite reflections on how anthropologists of Japan are impacted by their idiosyncratic and inimitable connections to this country and their chosen field sites. This may include inquiry into the social, physical, political, or affective dimensions that any given anthropologist or folklorist has experienced. Some core considerations might include:
・How do personal experiences influence the selection of a specific location within Japan as a site, a research topic, theoretical frameworks, methods, writing styles, or approaches?
・How does an anthropologist’s sensory engagement mediate the process of interpreting cultural phenomena?
・How is this process consciously suppressed or supported in their analytical writing?
Submitting a Panel or Paper
Panel slots will be 90 minutes, usually divided along the lines of 3 papers, 20 minutes each, then 30 minutes of discussion (though there is some flexibility here if needed).
Full panels are given preference, but please feel free to apply with individual paper proposals.
Papers that clearly relate to the conference theme will be given preference, but others will also be considered.
The application deadline is January 15th 2026. We aim to reply to applicants by February 1st 2026.
Fees for the conference and reception (including food and drinks) will be as follows:
Tenured Faculty: ¥5000 conference fee and ¥3000 reception fee.
Employed but not tenured: ¥3000 / 2000
Graduate Students: ¥2000 / 1000
There is no conference fee for undergraduates; however the reception will cost ¥1000.
Prizes
The Befu Prize and Bookman Prize will be awarded at the end of the conference. For details on the rules for the two prizes, see the following links:
https://www.ajj-online.net/the-harumi-befu-prize/
https://www.ajj-online.net/the-mark-bookman-prize/
**Any paper by a non-tenured scholar or student that is accepted for the conference will be eligible for entry to the prize competitions. Eligible candidates will be asked to supply a 5-minute video summarizing their presentation to assist us in organizing the judging process.
For more information: https://www.ajj-online.net/2025/11/02/cfp-2026-ajj-annual-conference/
