ABSTRACTS - oia - Portland State University

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ASPAC Conference 2010 June 18 – 20, 2010 | Portland, OR According to realism, this dilemma is characterized by the belief in threats of force, which may compel certain behavior thereby securing national survival. A tenet of realism, known as defensive realism, stipulates the only way to counteract vulnerability to threats of force is to pursue ambitious military and diplomatic strategies to increase security. In attempting to solve this dilemma, the Chinese and Japanese governments have expanded the scope of their nations’ interests through declaration, treaty, harassment, and military modernization. However, by utilizing such actions both nations believe each other to be engaging in power maximization strategies which inevitably threaten national security. A security dilemma may then ensue in which a series of reactive security strategies dangerously destabilize relations possibly leading to a “war in the strait, which would be a disaster” for both nations and the entire region. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ W. Puck Brecher On De-disciplining Edo Japan: In Favor of Imprudent Experiments in Interdisciplinarity Though the disciplinary (exclusionary) nature of scholarly training has long imposed theoretical and methodological boundaries on Asian Studies, recently the field has experienced a disciplinary loosening. As social theory and historiographical rubrics lose their clutch hold on scholarly inquiry, they are superseded by innovative projects that transcend both disciplinary and geopolitical boundaries. And although this gravitation toward interdisciplinarity is being widely embraced and a worthy body of scholarship being produced, ample room remains for further experimentation. The proposed paper will use three radically interdisciplinary research projects on early modern Japan (1600-1868) to consider the potentials and pitfalls of further de-disciplining historical research. The first uses the neighborhood of Negishi (near Edo) to connect urban planning, status, and aesthetics; the second uses the obsolete notion of historical cycles to reinterpret the life and art of Hon’ami Kôetsu (1558-1637); the final example views haikai poetry through the lens of industry to illustrate processes of collective identity formation in the saké brewing town of Itami. All three examples demonstrate potential benefits and drawbacks of attempting to connect fields traditionally divided by disciplinary or theoretical boundaries. In the process of de-disciplining their respective subjects, each yields unexpected (and perhaps controversial) conclusions about self-making and space-making in early modern Japan. Patrick Buckley Delphi Evaluation of a US-Japan Sister City Relationship ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Across the Pacific sister cities and urban twinning continue to grow in number, importance, and complexity, yet the scholastic record of their study remains sparse. Further, most studies focus on economic benefits through trade, association, and development. Fewer have investigated areas of emerging commonality of thought or social behavior, especially absent appears to be a one to one comparisons of small sized cities, where impacts are expected to be greatest. This study seeks to address this with a detailed investigation of a long running exchange of city hall staffers between a pair of mid-sized twinned cities, Bellingham, WA and Tateyama, Japan, utilizing a semi-structured yet open ended Delphi methodology. The process starts by independently asking participants from each city, Bellingham and Tateyama, to draw upon their exchange experience to evaluate and reflect on indicators of Quality of Life in their city and their sister city, thus forming a benchmark for comparison. Second, participants, still working independently by city, are given the opportunity to make suggestions for improving the QOL in each city and then rank order all suggestions. In a final round the group as a whole, both Bellingham and Tateyama participants, are provided with a combination of top suggestions developed by participants from their home city and sister city to investigate commonality and differences of outcomes. Statistical analysis is then performed to evaluate areas of convergence and divergence of thought and exploration for latent structure underlying the responses. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 4
ASPAC Conference 2010 June 18 – 20, 2010 | Portland, OR Setsuko Buckley Cooperation and Group Harmony vs. Individualism in Japanese Education Today, Japanese schools are facing a challenge due to Japan's socio-economic and demographic shifts plus advanced information technology. Thus, Japanese education need to meet the needs of these drastic changes. However, current education practice in Japan still is rigid or mind only, as represented by the entrance examination system, so called, "examination hell." The essence of Japanese culture is cooperation and harmony in a group. However, today groupism is being lost in schools in Japan due to students' high competition for academic achievement and growing diversification of values in a rapidly changing world. Consequently, the form of Japanese cultural tradition represented by "intimacy" is being lost and students tend to become more elite-oriented and isolated. This trend might be greatly influenced by the United States which highly values individualism and competition. The difference is that Japanese students still need to live in a tight grouporiented society; they do not posses "integrity." Japanese culture as software is changing, yet the structure of the Japanese education system as hardware remains unchanged. There is a great gap between the two components. This paper will investigate how groupism (intimacy) and individualism (integrity) could be integrated in Japanese education. In other words, how could we reshape both the rigid education structure and our mindset as individuals and part of a group in pursuing a global perspective in modern Japan. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kristina Buhrman Questioning the Stars: Competition, Expertise, and Doubt in Late Heian Astrology Many factors contributed to the increased circulation of astrological knowledge in mid- and late Heian Japan (11 th -12 th centuries). New bureaucratic procedures eased the restrictions on who could present astrological reports to the throne, and increased the number of non-astrologers who came in contact with such reports. Once astrology was no longer the exclusive domain of the official Doctors and Students of Astrology, competition between practitioners brought debates about the correct identification and meaning of signs into the public sphere. The growing importance of personal retainer links between the high nobility and those of lower rank meant that astrological expertise, like legal or martial, would now be leveraged for sponsorship or promotions at court. Furthermore, although astrology, like other esoteric knowledge, was considered the special property of certain lineages, popular tales show that astrology was also considered a skill/knowledge set that could be taught, and learned by anyone. This new marketplace of ideas about the natural world, omens and their meaning, forms the backdrop for debate and uncertainty concerning the true implications of astrological events during the late Heian period. This paper explores the influence the competition between astrologers exerted on how much the high nobility knew about the night sky, and how readily this elite accepted the pronouncements of diviners. Authority, expertise and power all interacted in this space between proto-scientific observation and political magic; the crème of Heian society are shown to be not blind followers of “superstition,” as they have previously depicted as being. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Orianna Cacchione Lin Fengmian and the Chinese Avant-Garde To introduce Western art; To reform tradition; To reconcile Chinese and Western art; To create contemporary art. – Lin Fengmian Lin Fengmian had a profound effect on Modem art in China. Upon his return to China from studying in Europe in 1925, Lin advocated a progressive style of contemporary art, which "reconciled" Chinese and Western styles. His views were placed in the center of a debate on the current state of Chinese art. No longer was the debate solely between Western art and traditional Chinese art, but rather which type of Western art should be used to best represent the new Chinese society. At a time when Western Realism was gaining government sponsorship, Lin's work negated this opposition. He insisted that works of art needed to 5
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ABSTRACTS - oia - Portland State University

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