Sarah Thal introduces her talk as follows:

While purportedly centuries old, bushido (the Way of the Samurai) was in many ways invented in the twentieth century, after Nitobe Inazo published his English-language work, Bushido: The Soul of Japan in the United States in 1899, and it was translated into Japanese. By now, it's not surprising that seemingly timeless ideas of national character or even moral principle were created through the interchange of ideas across national boundaries. What, though, can we understand from the ways bushido has continued to evolve, and attract people, especially outside Japan?

The seminar is open to staff, ph.d. and graduate students.

 The seminar will include a discussion based on the following readings:

Thomas W. Kim, "Being Modern: The Circulation of Oriental Objects," American Quarterly 58:2 (June, 2006), pp. 379-406 (Accessible through the University Library (JStor) and http://pomomusings.com/2003/12/10/i-want-to-be-a-samurai/

To register write an e-mail to Lise Hansen hislh@hum.au.dk. Deadline for registration is 30. November