DAAC Open Call

Hello everyone,

DAAC preparations have proceeded slowly within the bounds of other duties (teaching and research, personal lives), but proposals from the US and Taiwan have trickled in.

Unfortunately, we have yet to receive a Japanese proposal. With inclusivity in mind, we have decided to open proposals until all slots are filled. This gives people inundated by year end work a chance to participate, as well as students and researchers who may have been reticent.

Please spread the word!

DAAC Open Call

Open Call for the Discourse Analysis in Asia 1st Conference (DAAC-1)

Kobe International University, March 7-8, 2020.

DAAC-1 is a pilot event to promote and support Discourse Studies in Asia. Proposals can be of Discourse Studies in Asia, by researchers in Asia, or from neighboring areas hoping to connect to DA practitioners here.  We welcome academics from all levels, both instructors, students, and researchers, whether first submitters or previously published, to submit their work for presentation. Objects of analysis may be from any field, from politics, to linguistics, to education, etcetera. To encourage submissions, our reviewers will give suggestions for improvement to proposals, such as suggested readings or approaches in line with Discourse Studies.

In line with this inclusive aim, we are proud to announce proposals will be accepted until remaining presenter slots are filled. Presenters from Taiwan and the USA have already been accepted, and we hope to have an ever wider range of presenters representing Asia and the world. 

Participation is FREE, and presenters will be provided refreshments, town information, and tour events.

The DAAC blog is here:

https://discourseanalysisasia2020.blogspot.com

Send proposals or inquiries to Dr. Theodore Bonnah

bana@kobe-kiu.ac.jp

We hope to see you in Kobe!

End of October Update, FAQ

Greetings!

Preparations for DAAC-1 are proceeding slowly, in the background to life and academic work. Applications have slowly trickled in, but more are expected as the final deadline draws near.

At present, we are working to finalize a schedule of invited speakers, and making a provisory schedule of events.

Fish stock vending machine, Kyoto.

Bonito and kelp soup stock.

Now, we thought it might be useful to answer a few frequently asked questions about this event.


Q1: Who can present at this event? Is it limited to regional (Asian) studies?
A: Although the theme of this event is DA/DS in Asia, this is not meant to limit any proposals, but instead to encourage local researchers to share their work. Proposals can be about ANY discourse work being done. Whether the submitter is doing Asian studies, is an Asian researcher sharing their work with the world, or a foreign researcher coming to make connections in Japan, all are welcome.


Q2: How big is this event?
A: Although DAAC is called a 'conference' for funding application purposes, in reality there is no large organization behind it. In truth, it would be better termed as a symposium or even workshop, but applying as a 'conference' has given us a modest budget, access to facilities, and hopefully attracts more attention.

In future, we would like to launch a DA body based here in Japan and organize larger events, but for now DAAC-1 is as much a learning experience for us organizers as it will be for participants.


Q3: Why are there two deadlines?
A: It was difficult choosing a time where 1) facilities were available and 2) both Asian and Western-calendar academics could be free to come. Although our choice of March for the event was not ideal, it satisfied these conditions. Additionally, it was suggested to have early deadlines for foreign academics who need longer times to secure funding and plan a trip this far, while later deadlines would supposedly appeal to academics here in Asia.

We hope this has not caused any confusion, but instead gives researchers the freedom to submit a proposal at their own pace.


Q4: Why are there pictures of bottled fish on this post?
A: These are pics taken in Gion, the drinking district of Kyoto, and demonstrate some interesting Japanese discourses.

First, there is the discourse of 24 hour work as opposed to 9 to 5 businesses. Restaurants and bars serve food late, while supermarkets close early. If a bar needs to make soup, this machine provides the product at any hour. Second, there is the discourse of safe Japan and its much vaunted low crime rate. A foreign tourist might wonder that such a machine isn't instantly vandalized, and that it contains such an 'unusual' product instead of the 'normal' drinks or snacks. This leads into the final discourse (although you may remark others), of 'weird Japan'. Weird Japan is a staple of foreign media depictions of Japan, which both reinforces western moral superiority, while depicting the distant (yet internally logical) discourses of Japan capitalism as 'weird', when they are no weirder than western lack of such convenience or security.

You can see analyses like these on my research blog, Days of Discourse, available HERE.


There have been and will be more hiccups in the execution of DAAC-1, but we hope to see you there in March!

Theodore Bonnah
Kobe International University
bana@kobe-kiu.ac.jp

Back to Work!

It has been a busy half year since DAAC was greenlit by Kobe International University. In that time, we have juggled work duties (class load, research, overseas work) while slowly getting things together. It has been a rough path, but we are starting to make some headway.

Here are some updates on the DAAC conference preparations.

1 Three professors in Japan and three in Europe have kindly offered to vet proposals. Being an inaugural conference, the small group is more wieldy than a full committee, and will also offer suggestions to submitters on how to improve their work.

2 Over 100 Discourse Analysis researchers in Japan were contacted through Researchmap, the Japanese government-linked researcher social network. Response has been overwhelmingly positive, and several have promised to apply to present.

One problem that has come to light is that the Japan Association of Sociolinguistic Sciences is holding their yearly conference at the same time, so researchers face a tough decision of which to go through. That said, the head of JAIS has been supportive of DAAC, and this has allowed us to make a necessary connection with their organization, which is central in the field here.

3 The CfP has been disseminated worldwide by Taiwanese, Iranian, Chinese, and EU researchers. We expect the next two months to be a flurry of proposals, and

If there are any comments, questions, or suggestions, please feel free to contact the organizer Theodore Bonnah.

bana@kobe-kiu.ac.jp

See you in Kobe!

Call for Papers - Discourse Analysis in Asia 2020

Call for Papers

Event: Discourse Analysis 1st Asian Conference (DAAC-1)

Title: Hegemonies, Identities, and Interaction in Asia: Examining the place of DA in the public sphere in Asia.

Venue: Kobe International University, Japan

Dates: March 7-8, 2020

Early Deadline is October 30, 2019

Final Deadline is November 30, 2019

CONCEPT

Kobe International University (KIU), in co-operation with Discourse Analysis.net (DN), invites submissions of presentation proposals for the Challenging Hegemonies in Asia: Examining the place of DA in the public sphere in Asia, and differences with European DS, to be held on the KIU campus in Kobe, Japan on March 7-8, 2020.

In recent years, Discourse Studies (DS) has developed into a global scholarly practice. In Asia, Discourse Analysis (DA) has crept into Second Language Education, business research, as well as political studies. In Europe, Discourse Analysis Net (DN) has been a central platform for supporting DS. Through this conference, KIU and DN hope to build a bridge between European and Asian DS researchers.

To facilitate this meeting of worlds, we ask several questions:

Which DS approaches are more popular in Asia - CA, DA, CDA, or others?

Which DS founders are most read in Asia?

How is DS methodology applied in Asia, and how is DA practiced there?

What are the new developments in DS and DA techniques made by researchers in Asia?

How are the political stakes of doing DA different in Asia from those in Europe?

How is Asian media discourse treated in DS?

What role does DS have in social change in Asia?

To answer these questions and pose new ones, we welcome researchers from any discipline who use DA to examine local, global, or glocal discourses, regional hegemonies of thought and politics, expressions of identity, and situated examples of interaction.

Additionally, we also welcome criticism of DS as a eurocentric, western practice that has been marshalled in the name of western 'universal values' of democracy, and focused through this prism on the use of language for power, identity, and interaction. From the foundational  genealogies and archaeologies of Michel Foucault, to the critical Discourse Analysis (DA) of Pêcheux, to Sinclair-Coulthard style Conversation Analysis (CA), to Norman Fairclough's conception of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), Europe has been the center of theoretical innovation, methodological development, and critical activity in DS. We hope to problematize this history with DAAC-1.  

DAAC-1 welcomes researchers from any discipline, and encourages presentations in Japanese or English. We look to create a communal space for DS in Asia, linking scholars here to each other, and ultimately to the world through Discourse Analysis Net.

In future, we hope to have more conferences in other Asian cities to hear the different voices of DS in the Asia-Pacific region.

SUBMISSIONS

We welcome 20 minute talks with a discursive approach to how language and power are conceived or operationalized in Asia. Presentations might touch on doing DS in Asia, specifically theoretical or methodological developments, as well as techniques and practice. Presentations on common themes such as governance, public administration, political communication strategies, the political content of popular entertainment, recent economic developments, as well as foreign policy in the Asia are also welcome. Presentations should be in English or Japanese.

Presentations will be organized into a digital conference proceedings.

SUBMISSIONS

Send submissions of 300-500 words to DAAC1AsiaDA@gmail.com

Early Deadline is October 30, 2019

Final Deadline is November 30, 2019

Registration is 2000 yen, or 500 for students

Official Blog: https://discourseanalysisasia2020.blogspot.com

CONTACT

Theodore Bonnah, Associate professor

Kobe International University, School of Economics

bana@kobe-kiu.ac.jp

9-1-6 Koyocho-naka, Higashinada-ku,Kobe, Hyogo 658-0032 Japan Tel : +81-78 -845-3456. 

Kobe International University website

https://www.kobe-kiu.ac.jp/en/

DiscourseNet website

https://discourseanalysis.net/en/about

Welcome to the Discourse Analysis in Asia 2020 Conference Blog

Hello and welcome!

My name is Theodore Bonnah, professor of Intercultural Communication at Kobe International University. At this time, it is my great pleasure to invite you to share your passion for Discourse Analysis with likeminded researchers here in Japan at the Discourse Analysis in Asia 1st Conference (DAAC-1).

Me in my office overlong Kobe Bay

Kobe International University (KIU) is a small university built on the southern tip of the artificial tip of Rokko Island in Kobe. I feel that its mix of nature and artificial setting, and the beauty this juxtaposition creates, makes it the perfect setting for a conference about how discourse shapes our world.

Behind Kobe International University

KIU is a small institution but with a grand tradition of people helping people to take on large endeavours, from sending Japanese young people to learn around the world, to welcoming in foreign students (30% of its students are from other countries), and teaching a commitment to social justice and helping one's fellow humans. KIU has graciously offered us its facilities and beautiful scenery for DAAC-1.

In 2016, I completed my PhD in Global Society Studies at Doshisha University in Kyoto. My PhD thesis was on Neoliberal Discourse in US economic media during the financial crisis, but since then I have analyzed discourse in education (using CA for reflective pedagogy), marketing discourse in the Sanrio yurukyara Gudetama, as well as political discourse in Japanese blogposts critical of the government. I hope to see a wide array of work at DAAC-1 and broaden my horizons even more.

Unfortunately, living in Japan, I have not found a large number of scholars doing similar work to mine, so I have gone far afield in search of Discourse Studies specialists. In 2018, I participated in the DiscourseAnalysis.net (DN) event in Giessen, Germany, and was inspired by my warm welcome there to start a small event here in Japan to test the waters and make connections. DN has cooperated in the formation of DAAC-1, advising me and my small group of collaborators on our first event. We have done our best, but if there are any mistakes, the fault is ours.

So please look at the CfP on this blog, send your submissions, and come share your work and insights in Kobe! We hope that DAAC-1 is the start of a more connected Discourse Studies movement in Asia, one that reflects the passion, insight, and intelligence of researchers in the region, and connects these to fellows worldwide.

See you in Kobe!

Theodore Bonnah

Associate professor

Dept. of Economics

Kobe International University

bana@kobe-kiu.ac.jp