Mgr. Igor Prusa, Ph.D. et Ph.D. (born 1979) is a Czech scholar in Japanese studies and media studies, currently affiliated with Ambis University, Prague. He worked at the Czech Academy of Sciences. Prusa received his first PhD in media studies at Prague’s Charles University in 2010. In 2017 he defended his second doctoral thesis at the University of Tokyo. His research interests include contemporary Japanese society, media scandals, and anti-heroism in popular fiction. His research has appeared in a wide range of publications, including Media, Culture & Society and Japan Forum. Apart from his academic activities, Igor Prusa is a music composer in a Japan-themed band, Nantokanaru.
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Education
Education
2009 – 2017
Ph.D.
Information Studies
Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, IT ASIA program
The University of Tokyo, Japan
Doctoral Thesis: “Scandal, Ritual and Media in Postwar Japan” (Supervisor: Yoshimi Shunya)
2005 – 2009
Ph.D.
Media Studies
Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism
Charles University Prague, The Czech Republic
Doctoral Thesis: “Media and Society in Japan” (Supervisor: Jiri Kraus)
2002 – 2003
Certificate of Completion
Japanese language, culture and society
International Department & Department of Arts and Cultural Studies
Gakugei University Tokyo, Japan
1997 – 2005
Mgr. (M.A.)
Japanese Philology and German Philology
Philosophical Faculty, Far East Department and German Studies Department
Palacky University Olomouc, The Czech Republic
Master’s Thesis: “The Role of Advertising in Japan” (Supervisor: Joseph N. Rostinsky)
Work experience
Work experience
2020
Guest Lecturer (Japanese Popular Culture), Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies, University of Zurich, Switzerland
2019 – present
Lecturer (Mass Communication Theory), Department of Economics and Management, Ambis University Prague, Czech Rep.
2018 - present
Lecturer (Media & Communication Theory), Department of Media Studies, Metropolitan University Prague
2018 – 2019
External Lecturer (Japanese Popular Culture), Philosophical Faculty, Japanese Studies Seminar, Masaryk University Brno, CR
2017 – 2019
Fellow Researcher (Japanese Media and Politics), East Asia Department, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Oriental Institute
2016 – 2017
External Lecturer (Contemporary Japan), International Center, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan
2010 – 2017
Lecturer (Czech Language and Culture), Japan-Czech Friendship Association (Tokyo), JCFA Meguro Headquarters
2004 – 2008
Interpreter (Japanese/Czech/English/German), Toyota Peugeot Citröen Automobile, IPS Alpha Japan (Mobara, Japan)
PUBLICATIONS
PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
Scandal in Japan: Transgression, Performance and Ritual. London: Routledge, 2023.
BOOK CHAPTERS
“Anti-Heroism.” In Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies, edited by Scott T. Allison, James K. Beggan and George R. Goethals. New York: Springer, 2024.
“Digital Media and Political Participation in Japan.” In The Sage Handbook of Political Marketing, edited by Paul Baines et al. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2024 (forthcoming).
“Interdisciplinární zkoumání japonských skandálů [Interdisciplinary Approaches to Japanese scandal]. In Asijské Hierarchie v Postkoloniálním Kontextu, edited by Ales Karmazin and Blanka Knotková-Čapková , 95-107. Prague: MUP Press/Toggo, 2020.
“Scandal.” In Japanese Media and Popular Culture, edited by Jason G. Karlin, Patrick W. Galbraith, and Shunsuke Nozawa. Open-Access Digital Archive, The University of Tokyo, 2020.
“Megaspectacle and Celebrity Transgression in Japan: The 2009 Media Scandal of Sakai Noriko.” In Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture, edited by Patrick W. Galbraith and Jason G. Karlin. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.
JOURNAL ARTICLES
“Will the LDP funding scandal change Japanese politics?” The Japan Times, Feb 21, 2024.
“The Johnny’s Sex Abuse Scandal and the Role of Media in Japan.” Contemporary Japan, Vol. 36, Iss. 1 (2024): 126-144.
“Kawaii: fenomén roztomilosti v japonské kultuře a společnosti.” [Kawaii: the phenomenon of cuteness in Japanese culture and society]. Kulturní studia [Cultural Studies], 2/19 (2022): 27-47.
“Myth, Fiction and Politics in the Age of Antiheroes: a Case Study of Donald Trump.” Heroism Science, Vol. 7, Issue 1 (2022): 1-40.
“Japanese Scandals and their Production.” Media, Culture & Society, Vol. 44, Issue 1 (2022): 3-21.
“Andrej Babiš jako antihrdina: premiér v mýtech a fikci“ [Babiš as Antihero: Understanding the Czech Prime Minister Through Myth and Fiction] . A2larm, 20. Aug 2021.
“Japanese Scandals and their Ritualization.” Japan Forum, Vol. 33, Issue 2 (2021): 261-277.
“Multiple Review of Freedman and Slade, Introducing Japanese Popular Culture; Atkins, A History of Popular Culture in Japan; and Shamoon and McMorran, Teaching Japanese Popular Culture .” H-Japan, H-Net Reviews, 2018.
“Japonsky skandal: socialni ritual, nebo medialni spektakl?” [Japanese Scandal: Social Ritual or Media Spectacle?]. Academic Bulletin of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 3/2018.
“Mediating Scandal in Contemporary Japan.” French Journal for Media Research, Special Edition: Mises en scène du politique contemporain/Theatricalization of the Contemporary Politics, Vol. 7, 2017.
“Corporate Scandal in Japan and the Case Study of Olympus.“ Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies, Vol. 16, Issue 3, 2016.
“Heroes Beyond Good and Evil: Theorizing Transgressivity in Japanese and Western Fiction.” Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2016.
“Media, Scandal and Society: A Theoretical Introduction.” Journal of Information Studies, Vol. 88, The University of Tokyo 2015.
“The Logic of Political Media Scandal in Japan and the Case Study of Ozawa Ichiro.” Global Media Journal, Special Edition, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2012.
“Nektere mechanismy socialni integrace a jejich mediace v japonske spolecnosti: mediace statni moci, konfliktu a skandalu.” [On Mechanisms of Social Integration: Mediating Power, Conflict and Scandal in Japan]. Medialni Studia [Media Studies] 4/2011.
“Scandals and their Mediations: Theorizing the Case of Japan.“ Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies, March 2010.
“Charakter japonskeho mediopolitickeho komplexu a politicky zurnalismus klubu reporteru.” [The Mediopolitical Complex in Japan and Political Journalism of the Club Reporters]. Politologicky casopis [Czech Journal of Political Science] 2/2011.
“Je japonska spolecnost skutecne skupinove orientovana? Klasicke versus alternativni teorie kolektivismu.” [On Traditional and Alternative Conceptions of Collectivism in Japanese Society]. Novy Orient 4/2009.
“Japonska media a spolecnost: mediace skandalu.” [Media and Society in Japan: The Case of Media Scandals]. Pritomnost 3/2009.
“Dejiny a soucasnost japonskych sdelovacich prostredku.” [Past and Present of the Japanese Mass Media]. Novy Orient 1/2009.
“Dewesternizace medialnich studii: uvod do problematiky.” [De-westernization of Media Studies: an Introduction]. Prazske socialne-vedni studie [Prague Social Science Studies] No. 15, 2009.
“Nektere kulturne-spolecenske aspekty japonske reklamy.” [Sociocultural Aspects of Japanese Advertising]. Novy Orient 4/2006.
TEXTBOOKS
“Teorie Masové Komunikace (Skripta)” [Mass Communication Theory: Textbook]. Praha: Ambis, 2021.
„Úvod do Sociální Komunikace (Skripta)” [Introduction to Social Communication: Textbook]. Praha: Ambis, 2019.
INTERVIEWS
"Scandal in Japan with Igor Prusa." Japan Expert Insights (Youtube), Jan 24, 2024.
"Trump's status as an anti-hero is making him unstoppable." Financial Times, Sep 3, 2023.
“Ritualising scandal.” Beyond Japan podcast, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, 2021.
“Japonská média řeší drby kolem císařského páru, říká japanolog.” (Interview). Lidove Noviny, May 3, 2019.
"The Art, and Fallout, of the Japanese political gaffe." The Japan Times, May 22, 2017.
Get in touch at igorprusa@gmail.com
Get in touch at igorprusa@gmail.com
PRESENTATIONS
PRESENTATIONS
49. Scandal in Japan Book Tour, July 2-19, 2024: The University of Tokyo (Jul2), Sophia Uni (July4), Chuo Uni (Jul8), FCCJ (Jul11), Ritsumeikan Kyoto (Jul17), The University of Kyoto (Jul18), Nanzan University Nagoya (Jul19).
48. “Political Corruption in Japan and the LDP funding scandal.” Nordic Association for the Study of Contemporary Japanese Society (NAJS) Conference, Aarhus, Denmark, 23-24 May, 2024.
47. “Scandal in Japan.” 5th International Conference in Scandalogy, Department of Communication Studies, University of Bamberg, 4-6 April, 2024.
46. “Scandal in Japan” (Guest Lecture). LMU Munich, 18 January 2024.
45. “Scandal in Japan” (Guest Lecture). Department of East Asian Studies, University of Vienna, 11 January 2024.
44. “Scandal Made in Japan: An Anthropological Interpretation.” Conference on Asian Studies (ACAS), Palacky University Olomouc, 24-25 November 2023.
43. “Scandal in Japan” (Book Launch). East Asia Seminar Series, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge, 20 November 2023
42. “Scandal in Japan” (Book Launch). Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies, University of Zurich, 13 October 2023.
41. “Introduction to Antiheroism.” Everyday Heroism Conference. Bethlehem Tertiary Institute, New Zealand, 4-6 October, 2023.
40. “The Production Logic of Media Scandal in Contemporary Japan.” The 17th Conference of the European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS). University of Ghent, Belgium, 17-20 August, 2023.
39. “Anthropology of Scandal: Approaching Japanese Scandal as Performance and Ritual.” The 31st Conference of the Japan Anthropology Workshop Series (JAWS). Universitas Autonoma de Barcelona, 6-9 July 2022.
38. “The Power of Cuteness: Teaching Japanese Popular Culture via Kawaii Aesthetics. The 8th Annual Conference on Global Higher Education. Lakeland University Japan, 4 June 2022
37. “The Olympic Logo Scandal and the Case of Sano Kenjirō.” Conference Post-Olympics Japan: Renewal or Failure? Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies, University of Zurich & German Institute for Asian Studies, 7-8 Oct 2021.
36. “All Things Cute: a Brief History of Kawaii Culture.” Conference Iaponica Brunensia, Masaryk University Brno, Faculty of Arts, Seminar for Japanese Studies, 17-18 September 2021.
35. “Teorie roztomilosti (kawaii) v japonské kultuře a společnosti.“ Individual Speech, Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, 16 June 2021.
34. “Kawaii: fenomén roztomilosti v japonské kultuře a společnosti.“ Individual Speech, Palacky University Olomouc, Department of Asian Studies, 8 April 2021.
33. “The Past and Present of Japanese Popular Culture.” Bloc Seminar, Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies, University of Zurich, 25-26 Sep 2020.
32. “Producing Scandal: Japanese Media Scandals as Journalistic Rituals.” Guest Speech, National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO), Paris, 30 Jan 2020.
31. “Decoding Antiheroism in Japanese Popular Culture.” The Iaponica Brunensia Conference, Masaryk University Brno, Faculty of Arts, Seminar for Japanese Studies, 20-21 Septmeber 2019.
30. “Manufacturing Japanese Scandal.” The 15th Annual Conference of Nordic Association of Japanese Studies (NAJS), Turku University, Finland, 23-4 May 2019.
29. “The Role of Antihero in Japanese Popular Culture.” Individual Speech, Palacky University Olomouc, Department of Asian Studies, 2 May 2019.
28. “On Japanese Humor.” Individual Speech, Charles University Prague, Philosophical Faculty, Seminar Series: Philosophy of Humor, 8 April 2019.
27. “Toward the Antihero Theory: Rendering Violence and Transgressivity in Popular Fiction as Justified and Enjoyable.” Conference “Pleasures of Violence”, Oxford Brookes University, 7-8 March 2019.
26. “Jak metodologicky pristoupit k japonskemu skandalu” [How to Methodologically Approach Japanese media scandals]. Conference “Interdisciplinarity of Asian Studies”, Metropolitan University Prague, 12 December 2018.
25. “The Politics and Poetics of Japanese Scandal.” The 12th Annual Conference on Asian Studies “Japan Now” (ACAS), Palacky University Olomouc, 9-10 November 2018.
24. “Theorizing Scandals and the Case of Japan.” Individual Speech, Seminar: Japanese Political Science, Temple University Tokyo Campus, 5 November 2018.
23. “Japanese Scandal as Social Performance Between Ritual and Strategy.” Academia Sinica Taipei, Sociological Institute, Taiwan, 15-25 October 2018.
22. “Scandal made in Japan: concluding remarks.” The 10th International ADI Conference “Transition and Disruption in Asia”, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, 18-20 June 2018.
21. “Japanese Popular Culture: Beyond Boundaries.” Individual Speech. The University of Indonesia, Department of Areas Studies, 15 May 2018.
20. “Popular Music and Culture Industry in Millennial Japan.” Individual Speech. Charles University Prague, Seminar Series: Philosophy of Music, 24 April 2018.
19. “The Production Logic of Media Scandal and the Case of Contemporary Japan.” Individual speech. The University of New York in Prague, 21 February 2018.
18. “Japanese Scandal as Secular Ritual with Sacred Ambitions.” Individual speech. Czech Academy of Sciences, Oriental Institute Seminar Series, 5 December 2017.
17. “Inquiry into the Worlds of Japanese Subculture.” Individual speech. Embassy of Japan in the Czech Republic, Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC), 28 November 2017.
16. “Skandal! Japonsky skandal!” [Scandal! Japanese Scandal!]. Individual speech. Masaryk University Brno, Japan Studies Seminar, 13 November 2017.
15. “Ceska japanologie v teorii a praxi.” [Czech Japanology in Theory and Practice]. Individual speech, Course Series “Prednasky odborniku z praxe”. Palacky University Olomouc, Asia Studies Department, 2 November 2017.
14. “Media and Cultural Analyses: The Case of Contemporary Japanese Subculture.” Individual speech. The University of New York in Prague, 20 September 2017.
13. “Investigating the Worlds of Japanese Popular Culture.” Individual speech. Tokyo Metropolitan University, 17-22 October 2016.
12. “Power-related Scandals and the Case of Japan.” The 6th European Communication Conference (ECREA), Prague, 9-12 November 2016.
11. “The Scandal-ritual: Media Scandals and the Case of Japan.” The 3rd Forum of Sociology (ISA), The University of Vienna, 10-14 July 2016.
10. “The Logic of Media Scandals in Japanese Society.” Conference of Inter-Asia Cultural Studies Society, National University of Singapore, 3-5 July 2013.
9. “Megaspectacle and Celebrity Transgression in Japan: the 2009 Media Scandal of Sakai Noriko.” Conference “Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture”, University of Tokyo, 10 December 2011.
8. “Scandals as Secular Rituals in the Process of Social Control.” Joint Symposium of The University of Tokyo and Seoul National University, Yamanakako, Japan, 11 November 2011.
7. “Media Ethics and Journalism in a Non-western Society: The Case of Scandal Mediation in Japan”. Conference: Beyond Center and Periphery: (De-)Westernization in International and Intercultural Communication, The University of Erfurt, 28 October 2011.
6. “Mediation of a Hero as Cultural/Moral Stereotype and Its Role in Social Integration.” The ACS Crossroads Conference, Lingnan University, Hong Kong, 22 June 2010.
5. “The Conflict Space Where Media and Politics Meet: Mediation of Scandal, Its Mechanisms and Examples.” Joint Symposium of The University of Tokyo, Soul National University and Chinese University of Hong Kong, The University of Tokyo, 30 October 2009.
4. “De-westernization of Media Studies: The Case of Japanese Media. Conference “Cultural Typhoon”, Tokyo Gaikokugo University, Japan, July 2009.
3. “Mediace (s)potreby a kvazi-estetika japonske reklamy.” [Mediating Desire: The Quasi-aesthetics of Japanese Advertising]. Conference “Barvy a tvary vychodu”, The South Bohemian University, Ceske Budejovice, 20 May 2009.
2. “Historie a soucasnost japonskych masovych medii.” [The Past and Present of Japanese Mass Media]. Individual speech, Palacky University Olomouc, Far East Department, 12 May 2009.
1. “Uvod do dejin a soucasnosti japonskych masovych medii.” [The Past and Present of Japanese Mass Media]. Individual speech, Charles University Prague, Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism (IKSZ), 5 May 2009.
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