Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103
531 College Street
Middlebury, VT 05753
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Open to the Public

Enrique Garcia, Professor of Luso-Hispanic Studies
“The Representation of Japanese Culture in Comic Books from the Americas: From Orientalist Narratives to New Globalized Aesthetics”

Japanese manga narratives (comic books) are currently among the most influential Asian cultural products in the world. They promote Japanese culture through the financial and critical success of their franchises and their global influence in other media industries such as animation (anime), live-action films, toys, and videogames. This presentation focuses on how comic books from some of the countries in the Americas portrayed Japanese culture before and after the boom of Japanese manga distribution around the world. We will see how the visual and narrative representation of Japanese culture evolved from early 20th century stories that were influenced by Orientalist literature and “yellow peril” tropes to more complex appropriations from artists of Japanese descent and non-Japanese artists that have been influenced by manga narratives. The talk will include samples from Mexico, USA, Brazil and Puerto Rico originally published in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.

Sponsored by:
Academic Affairs

Contact Organizer

Bolduc, Tania
tbolduc@middlebury.edu
802.443.5484