The Association for Japanese Literary Studies (AJLS) started as a study group for younger Japanese literature researchers in the Midwest in 1992, quickly developing as a regional, and then as a national association. It is the only academic group in North America that is devoted solely to the study of Japanese literature.

History of AJLS

In the fall of 1992, Drs. Roger Thomas and Eiji Sekine organized the first seminar, "Poetics of Japanese Literature." The second seminar, "The Desire for Monogatari," and the third seminar, "Theatricality and Performance," were organized consecutively in 1993 and 1994 by Dr. Sekine: All three meetings were held at Purdue University. The overall participation consisted of a nice mixture of senior and junior faculty, as well as Ph.D. candidates. The number of participants from outside the midwest increased steadily. The ambiance of the meetings was always friendly and stimulating.

The conferences were strongly supported by Purdue University's School of Languages and Cultures and the School of Liberal Arts Dean's Office. The group's activities were also recognized and sponsored by national grant agencies. The Japan-U.S. Friendship commission supported all three meetings and was the resource for the publication of the conference's proceedings. The North East Asia Council of the Association for Asian Studies also supported the first and third seminars and encouraged the participation of quality keynote speakers, panelists, and discussants.

After the second meeting, a Steering Committee was formed: The members consist of Eiji Sekine (Chair), James O'Brien, Edith Sarra, Ann Sherif, Roger Thomas, and Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen (Consultant). After the third seminar, the committee decided to start a new association, the Midwest Association for Japanese Literary Studies (MAJLS), to exist financially by a membership drive. 

Beginning in 1999, "Midwest" was dropped from the organization's name and MAJLS became the Association for Japanese Literary Studies. Since then, twenty annual conferences have been held in the United States, Japan, and Canada, and nineteen volumes of proceedings have been published.

In 2018, Eiji Sekine retired from his position at Purdue and the leadership of AJLS was taken up by Matthew Fraleigh at Brandeis University. 

AJLS Activities

The Association for Japanese Literary Studies promotes the study of Japanese literary texts (poetry, prose narrative, theater, film, criticism, and popular literature and culture) from a variety of perspectives. Each year, a two-day conference is held, the proceedings of which are published the following year.

The 33rd annual meeting of AJLS is scheduled for University of Chicago on Nov. 21–22, 2025. The theme of the meeting is "media temporalities." 

The 34th annual meeting of AJLS is scheduled for University of Utah during the 2026–27 academic year.

AJLS Contact Information

For further information, please contact Matthew Fraleigh, Associate Professor of East Asian Literature and Culture, Brandeis University, P.O. Box 549110,  Waltham, MA 02454-9110.

Office phone: (781) 736-3229

E-mail: fraleigh@brandeis.edu

AJLS Newsletter

In addition to the journal PAJLS, AJLS publishes the AJLS Newsletter twice annually. It is distributed electronically to our members. If you would like to submit an announcement for possible inclusion in the next AJLS Newsletter, please send a message to ajls@brandeis.edu.  Bear in mind that the publication of the next newsletter may be several months in the future; to reach a similar audience with a time-sensitive announcement, please contact the jlit listserv at jlit-group@brandeis.edu.