Presentation Title: Gender and Poltics in Japan

The former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who resigned in September 2020, had been considered as one of the hawkish politicians in such issues as the amendment of the Constitution, national security, and gender equality. However, after assuming the post of prime minister in 2012, his cabinet loudly announced policies for the advancement of women in society, and had the Diet passed several important legislations with regards to women’s status in the labor market and expansion of childcare services. In this presentation, I explore what has and has not been done in these policy areas during Abe’s tenure, and what it means to the Japan’s gendered political economic regime.

About
Yuki Tsuji is a Professor of Political Sociology at the School of Political Science and Economics at Tokai University. Her research focuses on gender politics in Japan, politics of welfare state restructuring, and the political representation of women.

Presentation Title: Gender Focus as integrated part of Quality of Life

The talk takes its departure point in Danish writer Karen Blixen's (1885-1962) literary legacy and her contribution to the discussion and identification of gender and equality, as well as in Karen Blixen's personal life where she took up a career as plantation manager in British East Africa in the 1910's and 20's (a position otherwise exclusively reserved for men at the time).

Since Karen Blixen's time, Denmark has progressed considerably on its gender agenda, but the discussions about gender in Danish society in recent years make it evident that there is a need for a more permanent follow-up to the on-going #me-too discussion. The talk will discuss how the "gender agenda" has become integral to the way we think work-life balance and quality of life, and highlights examples of how cultural institutions in Denmark are responding to gender Issues in society today.

About
Catherine Lefebvre is a project manager in classical music at SNYK, national centre for contemporary, experimental music and sound art in Denmark.

From 2009-2019, she was director of the Karen Blixen Museum in Denmark.

Since 1997, she has worked on numerous and various art projects in Denmark and abroad.

Catherine Lefebvre holds a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Paris, Sorbonne, and a Master of Arts in History of Ideas from the University of Aarhus, Denmark. In 2015, she was guest researcher and lecturer at Tokai University, Japan, and has since then been a member of Tokai University Alumni Association in Denmark.

www.catherinelefebvre.com

Presentation Title: Writing Women in Contemporary Japan - the case of Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami is the most prominent writer in Japan today, yet his female characters are often met with much criticism. Considering such ideas, this short talk takes a look at women in the world of Murakami.

About
After finishing a BA in Japanese Studies and a MA in East Asia Studies from the University of Copenhagen, I studied and worked in Japan for five years as a teaching and research assistant to Professor Kato Norihiro at Waseda University. I then returned to Europe to undertake my PhD research at the University of Cambridge where I held a Gates Cambridge Trust scholarship. I joined the School of Modern Languages at Newcastle University in 2013.

In my research and teaching I look at contemporary Japanese culture and literature. Currently, I am leading the AHRC funded project, Gendering Murakami Haruki: Characters, Transmedial Productions and Contemporary Japan. The project aims to examine Murakami's literary works in terms of the processes of translation, transmedial production and the gendering of his characters. I am particularly interested in his female characters and their changing position and diverse representation. Part of this project is scheduled to be published with Palgrave Mcmillan as Women in the world of Murakami Haruki (forthcoming 2018).

https://www.ncl.ac.uk/sml/staff/profile/gittehansen.html#background

Presentation Title: Why Study Gender in Denmark - Local Knowledge in a Globalized World

In this presentation Peter will talk about his experience teaching foreign students about gender and sexuality in Denmark. The talk will touch on why international students come to Denmark to study gender and sexuality, why Denmark is an interesting country in relation to these topics, and how studies of gender and sexuality relate to “the good life” and “quality of life”.

About:

Peter Edelberg is associate professor in history at the Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen. His research focuses on gender and sexuality as historical phenomena that over time and around the world have been perceived and practiced in various ways. Currently, he is involved in a large-scale Scandinavian research project that aims at uncovering and analyzing LGBT-activism in Scandinavia from 1948 until today. Additionally, Peter is also director of Danish Culture Courses, which is the section at the Saxo Institute providing courses for international students.