Information, Technology, and Society in Asia 139

ITASIA139 is an annual lecture series that critically examine and evaluate the history of major intellectuals and scholars of or associated with the University of Tokyo in the modern period. By examining intellectual legacies of one of the most important research and education institutions in Japan and the world, this course aims to generate critical understanding of modern knowledge production and circulation in relation to social change and cultural formation in Japan. By so doing, this course also explores potential contribution of Japanese scholarship to the understanding of contemporary global issues.

Every year, a specific theme or topic is identified for focused study and discussion, and scholars working on that specific topic are invited from within or outside of Japan to lecture and lead discussions. For 2019, the lectures will focus on the question of “the religious” and address the issues of how (Japanese) religion and religiosity have been understood in relation to the nation-state, nationalism, and modernity by scholars of the University of Tokyo and what social and political implications their understanding has generated. We arranged six lectures by scholars in religious studies and history from the U.S. and Japan to approach these questions.