The 210th Asian Forum, "What is "Women's Literature"? Why should "Children's Literature" be Censored? Reassessing Hayashi Fumiko and Japanese Children's Literature."

The Institute of Asian Cultural Studies will hold the 210th Asian Forum  "What is "Women's Literature"? Why should "Children's Literature" be Censored? Reassessing Hayashi Fumiko and Japanese Children's Literature", as follows. 

【Date】4 June, 2026 / 16:00-17:30 

【Lecturer】Joan E. Ericson（Distinguished Visiting Research Fellow, ICU Center for Global Education）

【Language 】Lecture in English(Questions in Japanese are welcome)

【Venue】Honkan, room 275 

【Summary of lecture 】
This lecture focuses on the larger themes of the role of literacy and social/political norms in assessing Japanese literature from the Taisho Period (1912-1926) through the early 1950s. Using the example of the writer Hayashi Fumiko (1903-51), I will first discuss the evolution of the concept of “Women’s Style Literature” 女流文学 vs “Literature by Women”女性文学. Women writers of the late Taisho and early Showa (1926-1989) Periods, including Hayashi Fumiko, also contributed to the demand for literature for children’s magazines, one of the few venues in which they could publish. Somewhat surprisingly, “Children’s Literature” (児童文学) was not immune to political censorship both during and after the Pacific War.

Application: Please register in advance via the link below. 
The deadline for applications is 13:00 on 4 June, 2026 (Thu).
https://forms.office.com/r/yBBgSc6qnv
We look forward to your participation.