Poster Download.pdf

2021年度 第1回公開講演会 "Representations of Deaf People in Japan: Inspiration, Outrage and Real Life"

(Disability and Japan in the Digital Age Series Lecture 2)

日 時：2021年5月14日（金）10：00～11：30（発表45分、コメント15分、質疑応答30分）

会場：Zoom Webinar

主 催：南山大学人類学研究所

講　師：Steven C. Fedorowicz氏, (Kansai Gaidai University)

コメンテーター：Mark Bookman氏（University of Tokyo）

使用言語：英語, PC通訳 (CART) あり / English with real-time captioning (CART)

プログラム：

10:00-10:05　Introduction (Benjamin Dorman)

10:05-10:50　Lecture (Steven C. Fedorowicz)

10:50-11:05　Comment/Response (Mark Bookman)

11:05-11:30　Q&A

（司会：Benjamin Dorman：南山大学・教授）

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Abstract:

This presentation examines representations of deaf people in Japan as related to so-called "inspiration porn" -- the idealization of disabled people doing everyday tasks (e.g. riding a train, having a job) or for achievements having nothing to do with their particular disability (e.g. deaf athletes). Cross-cultural examples, academic models, observations and perspectives will be discussed to explore how disabled and deaf people are portrayed in various media. Japanese deaf people are often critical of the representations of deaf protagonists and characters in popular television dramas and movies. Such representations create strong but inaccurate images of deafness and sign language that ultimately serve to perpetuate deficit models of disability. On the other hand, representations of disabled/deaf people themselves challenge and add to a social welfare discourse, leading to (re)evaluations of societal norms and attitudes towards disability.

Bio:

Steven C. Fedorowicz is a cultural anthropologist, visual anthropologist, and associate professor of anthropology in the Asian Studies Program at Kansai Gaidai University. He has lived and worked in Osaka, Japan for over twenty years. His interests include deaf communities, sign language, performance, globalization, multimodality and ethnographic photography. See examples of his work at http://visualanthropologyofjapan.blogspot.com/.

Podcast episode:

Listen to this episode of Asian Ethnology Podcast featuring Steven C. Fedorowicz on the subject of Deaf Communities in Japan.

Report

In the webinar, the second in the Disability and Japan in the Digital Age series, Steven C. Fedorowicz discussed about his ongoing project concerning media representations of deaf people and culture in Japan, and his understandings and approaches to deaf communities and disability studies. 35 people attended the webinar, which can be viewed below.