Göttingen International Ethnographic Film Festival

(another forwarded message form the EASIANTH listserv)

The next Göttingen International Ethnographic Film Festival will take place April 30 - May 4, 2008.

The festival promotes documentary cinema with a special emphasize on new films, videos or interactive media (published after 1/1/2005) dealing with socio-cultural processes in a wide sense of the term.

The festival is open to all filmmakers, but especially those coming from anthropology, sociology, folklore and neighbouring disciplines. It provides a great opportunity for international co-operation in Visual Anthropology and documentary filmmaking.

The student film competition is one of the central events of the festival.

Submission Deadline: 14 January 2008

For more information (including films of previous winners), see their web page:

http://www.gieff.de/

Anthropology and War: There's More...

Lots of lively discussion continues on this topic. Check out the Savage Minds site and The Diane Rehm Show on WAMU, American University Radio.

Link to Savage Minds
http://savageminds.org/2007/10/13/savage-minds-on-anthropology-and-war/

Link to The Diane Rehm Show
http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/07/10/10.php#13756_

Happy Monday Morning. No more war...

Beauty in Contemporary Japan: Body/Comm "Visual Anthropology" Workshop Fall 2007

Once again this semester in "The Body and Communication in Japan" class (Body/Comm), we did a workshop where students made posters illustrating beauty in contemporary Japan.


The first group created a "Frankenfine," the accumulation and attainment of idealized body parts based on mathematical equations. Female parts were used in the construction of the male Frankenfine...


This group focused on the importance of big eyes, make-up, popular fingernail styles (which would seem to make daily life activities using the hands and fingers impossible), dyed hair, clothing styles and correct body proportions.


Certain foods, normal hair styles and large bodies だめ！ Cool clothing, wild hair styles and proper body proportions OK!


Cute eyes, big eyes, western eyes and eye make-up...


This group focused on female beauty, especially clothing styles, accessories and ideal body parts. Young women have various cute, cool and rebel fashion styles.


The selling points for beauty in Japan: western influence (half western, half Japanese models are very popular these days), big eyes, being cute and innocent, no body hair and lots of make-up.


This poster illustrates appropriate Japanese beauty styles for men and women especially focusing on clothing and hair. Manga characters appeared on their poster as well. Does idealized beauty influence manga or vice versa?

Another successful, fun and educational Body/Comm workshop experience.

You can compare the posters from this semester with those of last semester by clicking here.

Japan Center for Asian Historic Records

JACAR is a digital database of Japan's historical records testifying to its pre-war relations with the Asian countries. It is an ongoing project archiving official documents of the Cabinet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Army and Navy, dating from the Meiji era through 1945. In an effort to share the facts of history, images of the original documents are made public through this site on an unprecedented scale.

The site is available in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. You can also access the National Archives of Japan Digital Gallery and see visual materials such as maps, drawings, scrolls, photographs, etc.

Link to JACAR
http://www.jacar.go.jp/english/index.html

HIV in Japan Update

As HIV/AIDS rates continue to rise in Japan, the government continues to fight patients in court rather than taking responsibility and looking for solutions. This posting is an update from the August 21, 2007 posting, HIV/AIDS and Deaf People in Japan.

The government and drugmakers have reached a settlement with a hemophilia patient who was prescribed unheated blood products that infected him with HIV, more than six years after he was told he had the virus, it has been learned.

Read more in the Daily Yomiuri article.
Link to Govt, drugmakers reach settlement with HIV patient
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20071006TDY02303.htm

Anthropology and War: Don't Let Them Recruit You!

This is not visual anthropology or Japan related per se, rather it is another disturbing terror-related post illustrating anthropology's return to its colonization-related roots. The following New York Times article from October, 5, 2007 is being widely distributed in anthropological circles.

Army Enlists Anthropology in War Zones
By DAVID ROHDE

In an experimental Pentagon program, a Human Terrain Team pairs anthropologists and other social scientists with American combat units in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Read more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/world/asia/05afghan.html?ex=1192248000&en=43b7c2fc6edcd8fe&ei=5070&emc=eta1

I have lectured many times how anthropology has evolved and developed from its colonial roots. I admit that I have a very idealistic understanding about this discipline and its potential for humanity. Anthropology should be used to prevent wars, not make them more effective through understandings of the enemy and/or management of occupied peoples. Please don't emulate such militaristic "research" methods. Don't let the military appropriate anthropology as part of their ill conceived war on terror.

It might be a good idea for some to review the American Anthropological Association's Code of Ethics...

Information for Foreign Nationals Entering Japan

I received an e-mail from my colleague with the following information. A new example of "internationalization in accordance with the rules." If you are coming to Japan, check it out.

New Biometrics Requirements for Foreigners Entering Japan

As of November 23, 2007, all foreign nationals entering Japan, with the exemption of certain categories listed below, will be required to provide fingerprints and a facial photograph at the port of entry. This requirement does not replace any existing visa or passport requirements. Foreign nationals that are exempt from this new requirement include special permanent residents, persons under 16 years of age, holders of diplomatic or official visas, and persons invited by the head of a national administrative organization. Please note that permanent residents will also be expected to submit to this new requirement.

The Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice posted an explanatory video on the new procedures on June 14, 2007.

Link to "Landing Examination Procedures for Japan are Changing!"
http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/prg/prg1203.html

The video is on the webpage for the Japanese Government Internet Television [Copyright Cabinet Office, Government Of Japan. All Rights Reserved. 〒100-8968 東京都千代田区永田町1-6-1 TEL.03-5253-2111（代表） 内閣府大臣官房政府広報室]. There seems to be many different types of videos in English (on "Channel 61" geared towards foreigners and tourists) and Japanese (on a variety of subjects including politics, disaster instructions, public service commercials, etc.).

As per today's class on the various styles of documentary film, I'd say "Landing Examination Procedures for Japan are Changing!" (produced by the Japanese Ministry of Justice) falls in the category of expository, with the intention of informing and instructing viewers. The film is authoritative and "leaves little room for misinterpretation." It is also, in my humble opinion, most definitely propaganda. Japan must change its procedures to protect both its citizens and visitors against terrorism, especially in response to terrorist acts between 2001 and 2005. Changes take place November, 2007. Now that's being proactive. And such an original idea as well... These kind of regulations work wonderfully in other countries that practice them... Let's hear another cheer for the nation-state and deny globalization once again. OK, off the (sarcastic) soapbox - すみません.

It might be interesting for visual anthropologists to look into the Japanese Government Internet Television site a little more to see what other gems are there. Please do so and keep me posted.

Special thanks to P.S. for the heads-up on this one.

UPDATE: (Several hours later and after much thought) Back on the soapbox and no apologies this time... These new regulations are simply ridiculous and blatantly discriminatory. Let me give you a real life ethnographic example, someone I am very familiar with: Mr. S. has lived in Japan for 10 years. He has a permanent residence visa. He owns a house in Japan and has a mortgage with a Japanese bank. He works as a professor for a well-known university. His entire life is in Japan. For every one of the previous things mentioned, getting a permanent residence visa, buying a house, getting a mortgage, getting a job, he has faced "special treatment" because he was a foreigner. Most people would consider such special treatment as discrimination plain and simple. Mr. S. has done the Japanese thing throughout these events - he accepted them, persevered and uttered the appropriate "well that's the way things are and it can't be helped..." Mr. S. lives in Japan. One of the greatest pleasures he has is returning home to Japan after family-related or otherwise required trips to the country he has left behind. Mr. S. has virtually given up everything from his former country to the point where it would be impossible to return to any sort of normal life there. He is a refugee (albeit a willing one) of globalization. And now when he returns "home" from trips abroad he will be treated as a possible criminal and a possible terrorist because he is not officially Japanese. Mr. S. has a passport and a permanent residence visa. He has a re-entry permit and a foreign residence registration card. He is listed as a citizen in the city where he lives. He pays local and national taxes (without the right to vote - another "well that's the way things are and it can't be helped..."). Mr. S. is enrolled in the national insurance program (and has no insurance in his country of origin) and pays into the national pension scheme (which is more than some Japanese politicians, including the new prime minister, have done; Prime Minister Fukuda resigned as chief cabinet secretary in 2004 after it was revealed that he "missed" some of his pension payments - oh how soon they forget...). He has a name stamp registered at his local city hall which has been used on numerous occasions on numerous Japanese legal documents. Surely Japan must realize Mr. S. is not a criminal or a terrorist. Hasn't Mr. S. jumped through enough hoops already? Why must he give up more personal freedoms? Do you feel sorry for Mr. S.? Don't - for he is only one man. But there are thousands and thousands more like him in Japan. How can this happen? A sign of the times? A poor excuse, as it has been these kinds of policies that has brought on these "times." So what are we gonna do about it? Can we do anything? Can we afford to do anything without fear of repercussion? Mr. S. is tired and needs to sleep...

UPDATE #2: (In case you can't get enough of this...) This issue is taken up in today's (10/4/07) Japan Today. There's a short news story and then the usual mix of reader comments.

Link to
Japan to fingerprint, photograph foreigners from Nov 20
http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/419607

Internet Resources for Japanese Students and Scholars

Carefully remove the knife and check out these useful resources:

1. Skillful Internet Searching

Vincent K. Pollard at the University of Hawaii gives good advice for on-line searching and provides links to several useful resources. (advertised on H-ASIA)

Link to Skillful Internet Searching
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~pollard/search.html

2. Jim Breen's Japanese Page

Jim Breen from Monash University has compiled an incredible source for Japanese language software and education resources. He writes, "I have assembled this set of pages: (a) to provide information about a number of my projects in the area of Japanese computing and dictionaries, (b) to provide links to some of the resources available on the WWW on Japanese matters."

I am still in the process of exploring this valuable resource but I have already downloaded rikaichan (it displays in a pop-up the meaning of the Japanese word under the mouse pointer) and subscribed to the Kanji a day email list (a kanji character is sent everday with explanations, stroke orders, etc.). Lots and lots of good stuff to help us overcome Japanese language deficiencies... Do check this site out. (Thanks to MH for introducing me to this site.)

Link to Jim Breen's Japanese Page
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/japanese.html

As a recent guest lecturer noted, blogs are all about sharing. If you have information about useful sites dealing with Japan and/or visual anthropology, please share via a comment.

Sources for Japanese DVDs

Students often ask where they can get copies of documentaries about Japan and/or Japanese films with English subtitles. This question has recently come up in H-Japan and so here I share two suggested sources.

1. Documentary Films on Japan (and other areas)

Link to Documentary Educational Resources
http://www.der.org/films/index-by-geography.html

Japanese (and East Asian) Films with English Subtitles

Link to YesAsia.com
http://global.yesasia.com/en/prdGrpDept.aspx/pid-1003738898/code-j/section-videos/did-160/nID-3BDBD2F4BB/

Visual Anthropology Related Events in Kyoto

A couple announcements as posted by H. Smith in the H-JAPAN listserv. Please note the dates. The film is tomorrow (9/19) and the lecture is October 12. Both seem like very worthwhile events. Please check them out.

1. Film at Kyoto University

The Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS) is pleased to announce a Wednesday evening film series on the Kyodai campus this fall, mainly on the theme of the city of Kyoto and its history.

The first in the series will be the documentary film by David Plath, "Makiko's New World" (1999), based on Kazuko Smith's 1995 translation of the diary of Nakano Makiko (Makiko's Diary: A Merchant Wife in 1910 Kyoto), the young wife of a merchant family living on Gojo-dori. The diary covers the year 1910, and offers many insights into Kyoto life and customs in the late Meiji period. The film offers visual enhancement of the diary with many revealing images of the period.

Film: "Makiko's New World" (1999), dir. David Plath. Length: 1 hour

Date and time: Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007, at 6:15 pm

Place: International Seminar House ("jPod") on the Kyoto University Campus (main Yoshida campus; see map http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/english/eaccess/e07_acce/images/main200708.gif ). The easiest way to reach the jPod is to take the flight of steps leading into the Kyoto University campus from the east side of Higashi-Oji, about 100 m north of the intersection of Higashi-Oji and Higashi-Ichijo (bus stop: Higashiyama Higashi-Ichijo). At the head of the stairs, immediately to your right you will see the large five-story University Head Office [Honbuto]. Walk past the front of this building, and onto the path between this building and the old brick building to its left. You will enter a large clearing, to the right of which is a small, one-story wood and glass building. This is the jPod.

Note: Plath produced Ted Bestor's film, Neighborhood Tokyo.

2. Lecture by Donald Richie

The Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS ) is very pleased to announce a special lecture by the distinguished writer and film critic Donald Richie:

Title: "Traditional Aesthetics in the Japanese Film"

Date and time: Friday, October 12, 2007, from 4:00 pm.

Place: Room 211, Kyodai Kaikan, 15-9 Yoshida Kawara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto. Kyodai Kaikan is located about a nine-minute walk southwest of the center of the Kyoto University campus in the Yoshida area. For a location map, see http://www.kyodaikaikan.jp/access.html. By public transportation, Kyodai Kaikan is about a seven-minute walk from Marutamachi station on the Keihan rail line, or from the "Kyodai Seimon-mae" bus stop on Kyoto City Bus lines #206 (from Kyoto Station) or #201 and #31 (from Shijo Keihan station).

The lecture is open to the public, and free of charge.

For further information, please phone (075) 468-8420 (KCJS office, weekdays 9-5), or email Henry Smith .

Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies
http://www.kcjs.columbia.edu