A Report on the 9th East Asia and Contemporary Japanese-Language Literature Forum

Abstract

I had the opportunity to participate in the 9th Forum on East Asia and Contemporary Japanese-Language Literature, an international conference which was held on October 16 and 17, 2021. Unfortunately, as in the previous year, the conference had to be held online due to COVID-19. However, it provided an invaluable opportunity for me to deepen my thinking about “glocal” culture, which was the subject of the conference. When focusing on the region of East Asia, it should be noted that “glocalism” is not unique to this global age but was also observed during the modern period. From the 19th to the 20th century, East Asia was affected by imperialism, colonialism, modernization, and westernization, the confluence of which created a complex cultural topography that gave rise to diverse “glocal” cultures. These were primarily related to the movement around the region of various writers and the translations, adaptations, and distribution of their work across borders and regions. I was able to explore the complex history of “glocal” culture in East Asia through the numerous presentations at the conference, including the main symposium “Glocal Culture in Modern and Contemporary Asia：Identity, Literature, and History.” As the COVID-19 crisis is gradually abating, I look forward to a time when the conference will be held offline, and am eager to share further fruitful discussions with participants in the future.