International Symposium
Being Young in Ageing Societies – Japan and Europe
November 12th-13th, 2015
Aula Magna Ca' Dolfin - Dorsoduro 3825/e, Venezia
Outline
Only forty years ago, the subject of social ageing was virtually unknown. Today it is one of the
most pressing issues among many developed nation-states around the world. Ageing societies face
many problems as they affect economy, welfare, social cohesion, education, and, on an international
plane, competitiveness, exchange and relations vis-à-vis other countries. This massive change in the
demographic composition has been triggered by longer life expectancies and a decline of birthrates.
Japan and Europe are leading these trends.
Research on social ageing has often focused on aspects of welfare, economy and on the older
generations. Building on this research, we are placing the focus with this symposium on the young
generation in ageing societies. In doing so, we focus on two aspects (1) formative events of the
young generation in Japan and Europe in relation to their (2) cultural reactions and expressions.
This symposium will explore the interrelation between these two issues. In order to do so, the
symposium is comparative as well as multidisciplinary.
Tentative schedule of the symposium
Thursday 12, November 2015:
09:00-09:15
Welcome & Introduction to the symposium theme
09:15-10:15
Mathias Albert (Bielefeld University)
Keynote lecture: On the Edge of Generations: On the (Im)Possibility
of Growing Old in an Ageing Society
10:15-11:15
Florian Coulmas (Duisburg-Essen University)
Keynote lecture: ‘How average am I?’ Japanese Youths between
Marketization and Collectivism
11:30-12:15
Hiroko Kudo (Chuo University)
Policy Responses to Ageing Societies: Comparison between Japan,
Italy, and Germany
12:15-13:00
Yuiko Imamura & Hideko Magara (Waseda University)
Women Divided: The Political Economy of Declining Birth Rate
14:00-14:45
Masako Ishii-Kuntz (Ochinamizu University)
Parenting and Grandparenting in Contemporary Japan
14:45-15:30
Christian Galan (University Toulouse Jean-Jaurès)
From Youth to Non-adulthood in Japan: Educational Factors
15:45:16:30
Marco Albertini (Bologna University)
The Private Dimension of the Generational Contract in Southern
Europe: A Comparative Perspective
16:30-17:15
Jun Imai (Hokkaido University)
Experiencing Disenfranchised Life Course: Changing Masculinity
among Male Non-regular Workers in Japan
17:15-18:00
Carola Hommerich (Hokkaido University)
Happy despite Anxieties? Determinants of Subjective Well-being of
Young Adults in Japan
Friday 13, November 2015:
09:00-09:45
Erica Baffelli (University of Manchester)
‘Everything but Nirvana’: Young Buddhist Priests and
Representations of Buddhism in Contemporary Japan
09:45-10:30
Gunhild Borggreen (University of Copenhagen)
Young Art in Contemporary Japan
10:45-11:30
Toshio Miyake (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice)
Trans/Nationalizing Youth in post-Fukushima Japan: From
Galapagos Syndrome to Global Citizenship?
11:30-12:15
Anne Gonon (Doshisha University)
The Fukushima Incident or How Politics Reaches Youth
13:15-14:00
Marcella Mariotti (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice)
Representing Age-graded Spoken Japanese in Literature
14:00-14:45
Patrick Heinrich (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice)
Hōgen Cosplay (Dialect Guise) and Language Socialization
15:15-16:00
Caterina Mazza (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice)
The Problem of Literary Generations: Reading ‘Youth’ through
Contemporary Japanese Literature
16:00-16:45
Tomoko Aoyama (University of Queensland)
Cross-generational Creation and Communication through Children’s
Books: Ishii Momoko’s Legacies
Closing remarks