On August 30 and 31, 2007, the XVIII National Meeting of University Professors of Japanese Language, Literature and Culture (ENPULLCJ) and the V International Congress of Japanese Studies in Brazil (CIEJ) were held jointly at the Universidade Estadual Paulista in the city of Assis. ).
The event brought together academics and specialists in Japanese studies from different parts of Brazil and abroad. The program involved conferences and communications, in which participants were able to show, learn about and discuss the results of work carried out by professors and specialists. There was also an opportunity for students to present their work through poster presentations. The program also included five workshops – two on the topic of languages, two on literature and one on culture – that took place over the two days of the meeting.
The great richness and multiplicity of themes were one of the positive hallmarks of the event, which could be seen in the conferences given by Jeffrey Lesser from Emory University (USA) who dealt with “Nikkei ethnicity and Brazilian dictatorship”; by Sakae Ishikawa from Sophia University (Japan) addressing the literary work Sobo by Tatsuzo Ishikawa, which described the immigration of the Japanese to Brazil; that of David Le Quere, a French manga and anime researcher, presented the history of the manga, bringing photos and showing its evolution, the transformations of techniques in the drawings and the influence of the history of Japan on the works; and Tooru Maruyama from Nanzan University (Japan) who spoke about Father João Rodrigues, showing a little of the Portuguese and Japanese language in the 16th and 17th centuries and its changes until then.
The workshops were quite dynamic and interactive, such as Dr. Mitsuyo Sakamoto, from Sophia University in Japan, developed the workshop Bilingualism in the family context , in which she shared a little about her own experience. He reported the difficulties and gains of living in a bilingual context. Born in Japan and a member of a Japanese family, she moved to Canada when she was still young. In the family environment he only spoke Japanese and outside the home he only spoke English. Another workshop that included public participation was Sôkyoku as an introduction to the appreciation of Japanese classical music , in which participants had the opportunity to sing Japanese music and try playing the “Koto”, a musical instrument of Japanese origin that, according to with professor Alice Lumi Satomi, presents sound and resources that would be similar to that of the harp. Therefore, it is one of the instruments most likely to be accepted in the West.
After the last conference, the activity report of the Brazilian Association of Japanese Studies (ABEJ) was presented, highlighting the importance of partnerships, such as with the Japan Foundation, for the development of activities carried out over recent years. And he highlighted the latest agreement, made with the Discover Nikkei website, in which he invited everyone present to participate.
The event, however, was not restricted only to academic matters and also provided participants with opportunities for socializing, with a pleasant dinner at the end of the first day of the event. To end the meeting, the III Japanese Music Festival was held, organized by students from Assis, in which they sang songs and made fun presentations, entertaining the audience.
The XVIII ENPULLCJ and V CIEJ had an agenda full of information and activities, both substantial and enjoyable for all those interested in Japanese studies and, therefore, the invitation to the event that will be held next year at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
*Brazilian Association of Japanese Studies (ABEJ), affiliated with Discover Nikkei, contributes this article to Discover Nikkei. ABEJ is a non-profit organization that brings together professors and researchers from different areas of knowledge about Japan, experts, students and people interested in Japanese issues.
© 2007 Alexandre Ratsuo Uehara e Mary Maruyama
