Gastvortrag von Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Angles, Professor, Japanese Literature & Translation Studies, Department of World Languages & Literatures
Western Michigan University (USA):
This talk examines the complex origins of two of the twentieth century’s most iconic monsters, Godzilla (ゴジラ) and Mothra (モスラ), both of which now command passionate global fandoms. Although often assumed to be creations meant simply to entertain children, these figures, in fact, emerged from and responded to powerful social protest movements that shook postwar Japan to its core. This presentation traces the traumatic historical events that inspired these monsters and demonstrates how their narratives articulate Japanese resistance to the expanding reach of American hegemony during the early Cold War.
Drawing on Professor Angles’s recent bestselling translations of the 1955 and 1961 novels written by four major authors of the era—KAYAMA Shigeru (香山滋), NAKAMURA Shin’ichirō (中村真一郎), FUKUNAGA Takehiko (福永武彦), and HOTTA Yoshie (堀田善衛)—the talk argues that these writers used their creations to explore the nuclear trauma, environmental devastation, geopolitical pressure, and national insecurity that culminated in the 1959–60 Anpo Protests against the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty. Moreover, the talk argues that the monsters offered a means for processing recent catastrophe while also helping Japan imagine alternative paths forward during a moment of profound global ideological tension.
| Zutritt | öffentlich |
|---|---|
| Anmeldung | erwünscht |
| Veranstaltende | Geistes- und Kulturwissenschaftliche Fakultät |
| E-Mail (für Rückfragen) | Marina.Hertrampf@uni-passau.de |
