Finding the object(ionable)
Censored arts in postwar and contemporary Japan
Boycotts, bans, burnings of books, films, and more. Like the grainy black-and-white photo below, we might be tempted to relegate this kind of censorship to a long bygone era or a place faraway from our own. But censorship endures in many guises in our contemporary world, with the state of Texas leading record-high numbers of library book titles challenged in 2023. How to understand this enduring impulse to locate and to excise objectionable content? And what effect, if any, does removing such content have?
Our team will explore these questions using case studies of censorship from postwar and contemporary Japan. Our goal will be to create an engaging digital resource that allows players to find-the-object(ionable) in Japanese books, movies, photographs, manga, and more. Like “Where’s Waldo Now?” we will try to pin down the elusive and ever-shifting target of what is/was/remains objectionable in censored works of art. To do so, we’ll look at archival historical documents that show the official censors’ markings, deletions, and recommendations as well as at contemporaneous debates that pit self-appointed censors against free speech advocates. The question facing our team and our players will be: where, when, how – and most importantly, whether – to draw the line.
Apply by Friday April 26 2024, using this short survey
The application process is competitive. Successful applicants will be asked to interview in the first week of May
No prior experience is required, but an ideal team will include students with a combination of:
Traditional art and/or digital art skills
Computer Science / coding experience
Japanese literature, culture, history, and/or language skills
Experience in background music and/or sound design
Strong creative and/or analytical writing skills
Students with any of the above are encouraged to apply.
Digital Humanities Intern Responsibilities
1. Familiarize yourself with the historical background
2. Take the lead on your portion of the game, and assist on others
a. Find historical artwork, develop original artwork, or a combination thereof
b. Write text and integrate it into the game
c. Design and code the game
d. Create an engaging user interface.
3. Participate in testing and refining the game created by the group.
4. Attend weekly meetings on TBD.
Digital Humanities Intern Learning Outcomes
1. Interdisciplinary research experience focused on Japanese history and culture
2. Gain familiarity working with and interpreting textual and visual sources for a public audience
3. Experience working as part of a team to complete a real, useable project
4. Coding experience
Parameters
Successful applicants will enroll in a COLA internship—or the equivalent for their own college—in digital humanities via registration for LA 320wb (3 hours of credit).
Interns will work 10 hours a week, including group meetings. Interns must be available to meet during one of the following times: