Collaborating with Japanese Researchers, FIB Unpad Holds Seminar and Workshop on the “Consumption of Japanese and East Asia Culture”
On 28 August 2024, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (“Fakultas Ilmu Budaya” or FIB), working together with Dr. Kohki Watabe, Associate Professor from the University of Tsukuba, held an event about East Asian Culture for the public to participate in. The dean of FIB, Prof. Aquarini Priyatna, lecturers of FIB, and postgraduate students have previously met and discussed with Dr. Kohki Watabe as well as Prof. Noriko Hiraishi and her team as other collaborators in the project about “Consumption of Japanese and East Asian Culture” in Indonesia.
The event was opened by the chairperson of the Masters Program of Literary Studies, Dr. Muhammad Adji, and then continued with a welcoming remark by the dean of FIB, Prof. Aquarini Priyatna. Then, for the seminar session, Dr. Kohki Watabe introduced himself as the Associate Professor in the International and Advanced Japanese Studies Program at the University of Tsukuba, as well as his joint research project with Prof. Noriko Hiraishi and Dr. Natasue Hieda.
In the lecture, Dr. Kohki Watabe gave various examples of cultural texts, such as Madonna’s music video, to show show audiences have their own desires and agency when they are consuming popular culture. Other topics and examples were also discussed, such as the usage of slash fiction by writers to make their own sexual or romantic plots of certain characters in popular culture, as well as DIY cultures to appropriate capitalists’ contents in the topic “Feminism and Civic Engagement.”
Afterward, participants were invited to continue the discussion in the workshop session. They were divided into four groups, “Japanese ‘idol culture’ in Indonesia”, “Korean culture in Indonesia”, “Cosplay in Indonesia”, and “Girl culture and Japanese texts.” Each group was led by the visiting lecturers, including Dr. Kohki Watabe, Prof. Noriko Hiraishi, and Dr. Natasue Hieda. This workshop allowed participants to engage more intensely about the specific topics they are interested in. Ultimately, the interactive event allowed FIB lecturers, students, as well as the general public to share their cultural experiences and knowledge through the art and personal hobbies they are accustomed to in their everyday lives.
Writer: Jauza Maryam Mumtazah
