GLOBAL JAPAN: Past, Present, and Future
An Anniversary Initiative
INTRODUCTION
People today have more
ways than ever to access the fascinating world of Japan, from film
to literature to animation to cuisine. The past years have seen a
veritable explosion of interest in Japanese culture across the
globe. As cultural boundaries become more porous, our ideas about
“culture” and our experience of it are being transformed.
The Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture at Columbia University
continues to foster discussion about Japan, its culture, and its
interaction with other cultures in forming our common global
heritage.
The year 2006 marks the 20th anniversary of the DKC, presenting a
milestone for our institution and its educational goals. Our mission
is to encourage cultural dialogue and to inform discussion of the
present with knowledge of the past. We are well positioned to pursue
what Columbia President Lee C. Bollinger has identified as one of
his top priorities: to promote and expand globalization within the
university.
*The DKC combines an ideal location in New York City, a global hub
of cultural exchange, with the internationally known resources of
Columbia University.
*The DKC works closely with the C.V. Starr East Asian Library at
Columbia, home to one of the five largest East Asian collections
outside of Asia.
*The DKC has accumulated two decades of experience in introducing
Japanese culture to Western audiences, and in 1996 received the
Japan Foundation’s Special Prize for the first decade of our work.
*The DKC’s programs address all aspects of Japanese culture, ranging
from the eleventh-century court romance The Tale of Genji to
the twentieth-century movie rampages of Godzilla and contemporary
manga and anime.
GUIDING
PRINCIPLES
To mark its anniversary year, the DKC has
launched an initiative in celebration of Donald Keene, University
Professor and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature, the
renowned scholar for whom the DKC is named. The initiative is titled
GLOBAL JAPAN: Past, Present, and Future, and we invite your
participation in these efforts.
GLOBAL JAPAN extends in scope to the Starr Library and other
parts of Columbia’s large constellation of Japan-related resources.
The program will explore the following commitments:
*To define and pursue new directions in the study of Japan,
including new media, contemporary culture, and interdisciplinary
inquiry.
*To expand educational resources by acquiring new materials and
creating additional opportunities and incentives for research and
learning.
*To broaden audiences by hosting a series of public events that
reflect on the DKC’s past achievements and point the way to the
future.
As academic inquiry broadens to include different modes of cultural
production, becoming less “book-bound,” we must explore new ways to
experience and learn about Japan. From children’s toys to popular
film to multi-media arts, the field of Japan studies today examines
culture from every angle, transforming traditional academic
categories.
The DKC stands at the forefront of these new directions,
illuminating connections between past and present, old and new,
Japan and the larger world. At a time when public fascination with
Japanese culture is growing so fast, the DKC provides a ideal way
for people all backgrounds to deepen their understanding of Japan’s
importance within contemporary civilization.
The rich resources of the Starr Library are critical
components in this expanded study, vital for organizing film collections,
digital research tools, and performance-related materials, as well as the
ever-growing collection of books and periodicals. With more than a century
of service and a renowned staff of experienced library professionals, it
makes possible the groundbreaking work in East Asian Studies pursued at
Columbia, throughout North America, and elsewhere in the Western world.
In the spirit of creating an open educational space,
the DKC offers its events to the public free of charge. That is precisely
why your support plays so vital a role in helping the DKC to pursue its
mission. Greater contact between Japan and other cultures requires that we
take active steps to nourish and enhance mutual understanding. By supporting
the GLOBAL JAPAN initiative, you can help ensure that our shared
knowledge evolves to match the changing world in which we live.
DONATIONS
By supporting the GLOBAL JAPAN initiative,
donors can foster the following exciting developments at the DKC and
the Starr Library:
*Permanent endowment of three lecture series dealing with Japanese
culture
*Acquisition and administration of the Makino Collection of Japanese
and East Asian Film at the Starr Library
*Endowment of a new professorship in Japanese film and media studies
*Creation of curatorial positions at the Starr Library
*Endowment of new musicianships in Gagaku, Hôgaku, and other
performance traditions, as well as acquisition of related musical
instruments
*Expansion of the DKC’s online presence and virtual-education
resources
*Creation of a permanent space for hosting Japan-related cultural
activities
*Inauguration and maintenance of the Donald Keene Acquisitions Fund
at the Starr Library
*Establishment of the DKC Visiting Fellows program
*Endowment of new fellowships for graduate students and junior
scholars
*Initiation of a DKC Publications program
Funds may be designated for any of the above goals, or others that
seem appropriate. A variety of naming opportunities is available.
For additional information about gifts in support of GLOBAL JAPAN:
Past Present, and Future, please contact either the DKC at
212-854-5036 (e-mail),
or the Starr Library at 212-854-1508 (e-mail:
heinrich@columbia.edu).
ANNIVERSARY EVENTS
To celebrate the 2006 Anniversary Year, the DKC
and the Starr Library take pleasure in hosting the following special
events, all of which are free and open to the public.
SPRING 2006
*Commemorative Reception at Starr Library in Celebration of the Fiftieth
Anniversary of the Publication of the Anthology of Japanese
Literature by Donald Keene
*Announcement of the Donald Keene Prize for the Promotion of
Japanese Culture, henceforth to be awarded annually
*18th Annual Sen Lecture, by Donald Keene
FALL 2006
*Anniversary Concert of Gagaku Music in Miller Theater
*Commemorative Symposium: The Past and Future of the
Book—Transitions in Japanese Publishing Culture
For further details about the above events and other
Anniversary activities, please contact the DKC at 212-854-5036 (e-mail),
or visit the DKC's website.
THE
ONGOING LEGACY OF DONALD KEENE
Professor Donald Keene is one of the world’s foremost scholars of
Japanese literature, history, and culture. His writings and teaching
have helped familiarize audiences everywhere with the richness of
Japan’s heritage. Professor Keene’s classic Anthology of Japanese
Literature has its 50th anniversary in 2006, having remained in
print for five decades.
“Like a warm wind, Donald Keene's loving translations of Japanese
literature opened up a window to the West that had long been frozen
over.”
—ÔOKA Makoto, poet and critic
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM KÔNO TAEKO (Prize-Winning
Novelist)
The Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture at Columbia
University is celebrating its Twentieth Anniversary. Those who
are familiar with the DKC’s activities cannot help but be moved
by its two decades of work in support of greater awareness about
Japanese literature and culture as well as U.S.-Japan cultural
exchange. The DKC’s many cultural programs and events are the
product of broad vision, careful planning, and deep-seated
passion. For all who seek a better understanding of Japanese
literature and culture, the DKC offers a world-class source of
knowledge. It is also important to note that its activities
provide encouragement and inspiration for Japanese authors and
artists themselves.
A MESSAGE FROM COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT LEE
C. BOLLINGER
The Donald Keene Center is an important resource for Columbia
and New York City. It enlivens the study of Japanese arts and
culture by bringing renowned artists, experts, and scholars to
our campus and hosting many artistic and cultural events that
are free and open to the public. We celebrate the DKC on its
20th anniversary for its contributions and for its continued
commitment to excellence in the study of cultural diversity and
in fostering the exchange of global perspectives.
ANNIVERSARY MESSAGES FROM LEADING JAPAN AUTHORITIES
*Peter DUUS, Professor Emeritus, Stanford
University:
Aptly named in honor of one of the world's leading authorities on
Japanese literature, the Donald Keene Center is dedicated to
advancing knowledge about Japanese history and culture in the United
States. Its contributions toward that important goal are widely
known and respected.
*Karl FRIDAY, author of Legacies of the
Sword, Hired Swords, and Samurai, Warfare, and the State
in Early Medieval Japan:
In just two decades the Donald Keene Center has emerged as an
institutional nonpareil that truly does justice to its namesake.
*Beate Sirota GORDON, author and cultural ambassador:
The DKC has made a tremendous contribution to the citizenry of
New York. Its excellent presentations of lectures concerning
Japanese culture have enriched us, have made us more sensitive
to Japanese concerns, and thus have helped us on the road to
peaceful co-existence.
*Fred KATAYAMA, former CNN anchor and reporter /
Fortune magazine Tokyo correspondent / NHK “Japan Business Today”
reporter:
What a fabulous resource! The DKC brings to life what I read in books as a
Columbia undergrad. What surprises me is its breadth of coverage. Tackling
topics from Genji to Godzilla, it goes beyond what one might expect from the
ivory tower. It enriches what I've learned in the past while updating me on
current trends in Japan. The DKC’s existence underscores another resource no
other university can claim: the inspiration, legacy, and continued
contributions of Professor Donald Keene himself.
*MANABE Shunshô, Professor, Shikoku University:
For twenty years, the DKC has worked tirelessly to introduce American
audiences to the literature and traditional arts of Japan. It boasts a
substantial track record in the field of U.S.-Japan cultural relations.
*Donald RODEN, Professor of Japanese History, Rutgers University:
In its short history, no institution has better served the academic
community and, more important, the public at large in the promotion of
cultural understanding between the United States and Japan. Far from a
cloistered enclave for scholars, the DKC offers a vibrant host of events,
featuring artists, writers, film makers and musicians, which are nearly
always open to the public and free of charge.
*Timon SCREECH, Chair, Japan Research Centre, University of London:
Your presence has been a beacon and a challenge for us. I hope you will
continue to flourish and lead the way with Japanese Studies in the USA, and
around the world.
*SUZUKI Tadashi, stage director:
Japanese culture is often misunderstood as being dominated by a single set
of values. But in fact a multitude of values lies hidden beneath the
surface. For this reason it is necessary to adopt a variety of perspectives
in order to appreciate its distinctive character. The DKC has been carrying
out this work for many years. Its activities are sure to grow even further
in importance in the future.
*TORIGOE Bunzô, Professor Emeritus, Waseda University:
The DKC combines the gifts of Professor Donald Keene with the talents of the
various distinguished individuals who have been associated with it over the
years. It represents a point of departure for Japanese culture in the United
States, and will provide one of the foundations of its circulation more
broadly around the globe in years to come.
*Brett L. WALKER, Director, Japan Studies Program, Montana State
University-Bozeman:
Over the past twenty years, conferences and symposia sponsored by the DKC
have resulted in a number of path-breaking publications—including, recently,
one of my own (JAPANimals: History and Culture in Japan's Animal Life,
co-edited with Gregory M. Pflugfelder). In this way, the DKC’S work in
expanding knowledge about Japan reaches far beyond New York City and even
beyond the United States.
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