Editorial

Abstract

Welcome to the fourth volume of Mutual Images.

This is the output of our fifth yearly international workshop, which our research association organised and held at Nagoya University (Japan) on 22 and 23 April, 2017. This workshop was organised in collaboration with G30 Japan-in-Asia Cultural Studies Program (JACS) from Nagoya University, directed by Kristina Iwata-Weickgenannt. This collaboration led to a geographical delimitation of both the workshop and this volume that differ from previous events and publications done by Mutual Images Research Association. In the previous volumes, the articles explored mainly the “images” bridging between Japanese and European cultures. For this volume, we seek to consider the representations between Japan and Asia. However, as it will become apparent with the articles that compose this volume, Europe is omnipresent. The relationship between Japan and Asia also goes through Europe as another “Other”. The concepts of Selfness and Otherness in and between Japan, other Asian nations and Europe are the common grounds that link the articles.

In breaking away from the binary coupling of [...]