15th EAJS Workshop for Doctoral Students
University College Cork, Ireland
20 – 23 August 2019

Reports by the Participants of the 15th EAJS Workshop for Doctoral
Students
The 15th EAJS Workshop was held at the University College Cork, Ireland. I am very grateful that
I had the opportunity to present my dissertation project, for the helpful comments and for meetingand getting to know the senior advisors and fellow PhD students.
The workshop was very well-organized and the length of the event provided not only sufficient
time for all 20 participants to present their projects, but also allowed engaging in stimulating
conversations with the other participants. The diversity of disciplines, ranging from Musicology,
Literature Studies, Linguistics, Political Science to Sociology was truly astonishing and stimulating.
I enjoyed learning about other PhD projects. And while it was challenging to introduce my projectto such a wide-ranging interdisciplinary audience, it was an instructive experience that I will be able
to draw from in the future. Furthermore, I am very grateful for the senior advisors for theirinsightful and motivating comments.
I would like to thank the hosts in Cork for their excellent organization, the EAJS, the JapanFoundation and the Toshiba International Foundation for their support in creating this wonderfulplatform for PhD students. Finally, I would like to strongly recommend the workshop to any young
academic researcher engaged in Japanese studies.
Aya Adachi
AREA Ruhr, Germany
The 15th EAJS Workshop for Doctoral Students provided me with a great opportunity to meet andget to know some of my colleagues, fellow PhD students and senior scholars in the field of JapaneseStudies. The participants came from all over Europe, working on a diverse range of topics, andtheir presentations provided an interesting insight into different aspects of the field. The supportiveand friendly environment which was sustained throughout the workshop created an encouraging
general atmosphere for exchanging knowledge, ideas and opinions, from which I feel that I havebenefitted greatly.
The specific insights I gained from the feedback I received on my own writing helped me greatly
to articulate and verbalize my ideas and findings, and has brought me one step closer to completing
my dissertation. I am particularly grateful to Dr Till Weingärtner who, besides doing a fantastic job
in organizing the workshop, also served as my advisor and provided me with very detailed andhelpful feedback as well as practical suggestions on some of the issues I am facing, and hence on
how to proceed.

All in all, I am more than happy to have been given the opportunity to participate in the 15th EAJSWorkshop for Doctoral Students, which helped me a lot both at the level of my own writing aswell as in planning my future career. I am sure that many of the connections made during theworkshop will lead to future projects that will further strengthen and maintain the network ofEuropean Japanese Studies scholars.
Carolin Becke
School of East Asian Studies, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
The workshop was fairly multidisciplinary, which I found to be both a strength and aweakness. There were very few people from my field (Linguistics), which meant that it was hardto get specialized commentary or critique for field-specific difficulties. On the other hand, I
enjoyed the challenge of explaining my work to researchers from other areas; the very task makes
one better define the questions and goals. It was of course fascinating to learn about such a wide
range of topics, ranging from economic policy to literary motifs. Fruitful advice came from
unexpected sessions; for example, much of what was said regarding fieldwork practice or writing
discipline was helpful to me, even if directed at researchers in widely distinct fields from mine. The
most value came from inter-generational sharing of experience; there are best practices andapproaches that are hard to convey in textbooks, but can be shared quite effectively from veteransto those new to research work. My session's advisor helped me see facets of my fieldwork fromdifferent angles.
The event organization was excellent. It was thoughtful of the organizers to reserve a day before
and after the workshop itself, so that those travelling from abroad could get settled. Personal needs
such as dietary restrictions were attended to with care. The organizational work was directly
responsible for creating a friendly environment, with plenty of opportunity to meet people fromdifferent fields and build connections. I am grateful to the EAJS for the opportunity and lookforward for future collaborations.
Melissa Boiko
Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
I had the pleasure and honor this summer of attending the 15th EAJS PhD Workshop in Cork,
Ireland. Not only was this my first trip to Ireland, but it was my first experience in participating inan event run by the EAJS. The city of Cork was a beautiful and inspirational setting, and I verymuch look forward to participating in future EAJS events.
I was delighted to meet the other participants, and the senior academic staff who were kindlypresent to pass on their collective wisdom, advice, and experience. One of my favorite aspects ofattending these kinds of interdisciplinary events is the exposure we have to such a wide array ofinterests and research topics. I found all of the participants’ presentations deeply fascinating, andto such a high standard. Furthermore, the advice we received from Professor Judit Hidasi,
Professor Gergana Petkova, Dr Barbara Pizziconi, Professor Christian Tagsold, and Dr Till
Weingärtner was all extremely useful, and universally applicable to conducting PhD research in any
discipline. Many thanks to Dr Till Weingärtner for his astute feedback on my project, not only atthe event itself, but in extremely generous e-mail correspondence afterwards.

I must also make clear how grateful I am for all of my fellow participants’ comments, advice, andgood humor. It was wonderful to meet you all, and I am glad that we had this opportunity to build
strong collaborative connections in the field of Japan Studies in Europe.
Finally, I would like to thank the EAJS, the Toshiba International Foundation, University College
Cork, and Dr Weingärtner for such a well-organized event. It was truly a pleasure to be a part ofthis workshop.
Nicholas James Bradley
University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
My participation in the 15th EAJS PhD Workshop was a very rewarding and enjoyable experience.
As doctoral students tend to become lone wolves at times, being confined to their own world of
research, this event was a formidable chance to get out and connect to like-minded peers. Other
students face similar challenges or have already managed to solve specific difficulties in theirprojects – situations which are often related to one’s own work and can therefore provide usefuladvice. In this context, the other participants’ diverse academic backgrounds, theoretical
approaches and methodologies were particularly insightful and enabled me to contextualize myown research within the larger picture of Japanese Studies and Social Sciences.
What enthused me most about the workshop was the ever respectful and appreciative atmospherein which presentations were made and feedback given. The advice and recommendations of thesenior scholars were not only helpful for the presenter, but also for the listening audience.
Moreover, the commitment with which the participants gave each other sincere feedback revealed
the high level of dedication and made me feel fortunate to be part of this event.
In the end, what will remain from this workshop are a wealth of thought-provoking impulses, very
concrete, pragmatic advice (“Just start to write!”, Prof. Christian Tagsold) and the bonds to a lotof new, positive-minded colleagues who I am looking forward to meeting again in the future.
Yosuke Buchmeier
Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany & University of Tokyo, JapanI am deeply grateful that I was invited to the 15th EAJS PhD Workshop in Cork. I can say without
any reservations that the workshop was such an intense and fruitful experience that it marked oneof the highlights of my doctoral training so far. It provided me with an excellent opportunity toreflect upon the preliminary results that I have achieved during the past two years. I sincerely
appreciate all the effort that the organizers put into this workshop. I was impressed by how each
PhD project had been selected from numerous applicants and assigned to senior scholars for advice
and feedback.
My PhD project focuses on the post memory of the Second World War in contemporary Japanese
fiction. As my primary advisor, Dr Till Weingärtner gave me a lot of helpful comments andinvaluable tentative suggestions on my research plan; Prof. Dr. Christian Tagsgold with expertisein the sociological aspects, provided me with refreshing and instructive opinions over dinners. The
well-tuned panels enabled all participants with different research backgrounds to engage inthorough theoretical and methodological discussions, and gave me a comprehensive understanding

on the current issues and trends in Japanese Studies. I was able to benefit greatly from this and can
now deepen and expand my own research.
Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to the EAJS Office staff, our hosts in my fellow
PhD students, and the Toshiba International Foundation for making this extraordinary event
possible. The EAJS PhD Workshop is such an enrichment for aspiring researchers in Japanesestudies that I would like to encourage every PhD student in Japanese Studies to apply.
Yuqi Chen
Ludwig-Maximilians-University MunichFirst, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the project director, Dr Till Weingärtner, andthe EAJS office for their warm hospitality and the thorough preparation. I am also grateful to thesenior scholars and fellow participants for their valuable comments and positive encouragement.
The workshop offered us an intellectually stimulating but most friendly environment in which we
benefited from both the scholarly discussion and the informal exchanges of ideas.
I applied for this workshop because it had been quite difficult for me to gain feedback from experts
outside my field and be in a Japan-related multidisciplinary environment, as I never majored inJapanese Studies and never had affiliations with relevant departments. I was also struggling to moveon from the fieldwork to the writing stage with my PhD project. Attending this workshop helped
me enormously in both respects. All the comments I received were very helpful and inspirational,
and I learned a great deal from other participants’ presentations and the comments they received.
The whole experience made me feel determined and hopeful again for my research.
This workshop was one of the most encouraging and helpful experiences I have ever had since I
started working on my PhD. It has not only provided me with academic experience, but also a solid
network that could lead to future collaborations. Just like my friend, who participated in theworkshop a few years ago, encouraged me to apply for it, I would strongly recommend thisworkshop to future PhD students.
Moeko Hayashi
University of Oxford, United Kingdom
Other PhD colleagues had reported overwhelming positively about the EAJS PhD workshops andpraised the constructive and detailed comments they had received as well as the wonderfulprofessional networks they had built up during the workshop days. The workshop in Cork evenwent beyond my high expectations: Within two truly intense days and three convivial evenings, I
not only received very encouraging feedback on my own project, but also got the chance to meet
new colleagues, engage with their research topics and discuss with senior advisors who I had mainly
known from conference stages and through their research.
While preparing my presentation, I was encouraged to review my dissertation from a conceptual
perspective once again, instead of presenting an isolated aspect of it, as I had done at other events.
I feel that the workshop has left a meaningful impact on me, as I have gathered enough confidence
to enter the final writing stage. Discussing my dissertation on a macro level helped me toconvincingly explain my approach to the topic: a combination of literary analysis and ethnographic
methods that explores regional literature and its production in Japan. The case study of Iwate showsthat literary production in Japan’s regions emerges from the interplay of institutions, agents,
networks, publication formats as well as the literary texts themselves, necessitating a comprehensive
analysis.
In the end, I want to express my gratitude to the EAJS and the TIFO for facilitating and sponsoring
this event. I especially thank Dr. Till Weingärtner for organizing and hosting the workshop and allsenior advisors for creating a warm and constructive atmosphere. I am very much looking forward
to meeting everyone again at future events.
Tamara Kamerer
University of Vienna, Austria
The 15th EAJS PhD Workshop, that took place in Cork, Ireland from the 20 to 23 August 2019,brought together 20 PhD students, all with different research interests. As diverse as these interestsand our research fields – ranging from political science to literature, from media to visual arts –and our approaches to these topics – diachronic analyses to qualitative contemporary assessments– may have been, the common link between us was the fact that we are all dealing with a particular
aspect of Japanese Studies and that we are ambitious and passionate enough to translate this aspect
into a PhD thesis. It was an honor for me to participate in this workshop in the beautiful locationof University College Cork and to present the research results and data I had accumulated in thefirst few months as a PhD student to fellow PhD candidates in Japanese Studies. My presentation
was followed by very valuable feedback and a stimulating discussion, and I could see how myresearch was examined from a variety of different viewpoints, leading to some new, useful ideas.
Aside from the feedback from our fellow students, we received detailed feedback from five senioradvisors, one of whom was Dr. Till Weingärtner, who also did a brilliant job in organizing thisworkshop. I have to say, I particularly appreciated the advice of our senior advisors on how toapproach a project as vast as a PhD thesis, or how to move forward in the jungle that is academia.
I would like to thank the EAJS, the Toshiba International Foundation and the UCC fororganizing/hosting such a wonderful workshop. Even though I am just at the beginning of my
PhD, I think this will be one of the best experiences in my life as a scholar. I will always think backwith great pleasure to the wonderful time I had in Cork, the great people and the fruitful
discussions.
Viktor Köhlich
Hamburg University, Germany
I participated in the 15th EAJS PhD Workshop held in Cork, Ireland. It was an intellectuallyenriching experience and a valuable opportunity to expand the scholarly network of researchers invarious fields of Japanese Studies.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the workshop as a stage for presenting ones’
findings, receiving guidance from the established scholars and exchanging opinions with the peers
through engaging conversations. While the format of a small academic meeting is certainly helpful
for improving one’s work with the help of highly personalized feedback, I also found participationin the workshop very motivating to proceed to the final phase of writing my dissertation with some
fresh ideas and increased confidence. The diversity of topics presented at the workshop provided
a glimpse beyond my area of specialization and a chance to reflect on my work from a newperspective and within a broader context. I was also pleased with the range of opportunities for
informal communication with the participants and senior advisors, which, given the highlyinternational character of the workshop, was exciting in itself. Beyond that, it facilitated stronger
connections, spanning across the disciplines and countries, between the people equally passionate
about studying Japan.
I would like to express my gratitude to the EAJS Office, the University College Cork and espceicallyDr. Till Weingärtner for impeccable organization, attention and responsiveness to queries and thecreation of a truly welcoming atmosphere, which made this workshop one of the most memorable
experiences of my time as a doctoral student. In addition, I greatly appreciate the generous supportof the Toshiba International Foundation and the Japan Foundation.
Overall, participation in the EAJS workshop was a precious experience on a professional andpersonal level and I would gladly recommend it to other doctoral students.
Elena Korshenko
Graduate School of East Asian Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Overall, the experience of participating in the workshop was very satisfactory. I did my presentationin front of a very informed audience, all with vast background knowledge in Japanese Studies. All
PhD students were at different stages of writing as well as from various fields (history, politicalscience, literature, fashion, etc.), which provided additional inspirations and topics for discussions.
Besides sharing the experiences made during my research, I learned a lot from my peers and thesenior advisors. Although it was very important for me to receive comments from colleagues fromdifferent fields – linguistics, political science, history, etc. – in order to place my research in a
borader scope of Japan Studies, I had hoped above all to receive a comment from a senior scholar
who has a lot of experience in my field and could give me valuable advice on my research andpossible developments in this area. However, my commentator neither had experience inanthropology or in rural studies. I understand that recruiting the right senior academics to meet theneeds of all is is a complicated task, and I appreciate the organizers’ efforts to invite establishedscholars to provide academic advice to the workshop participants. Nevertheless, I hope that thenext workshops will be more careful in matching the research areas of commentators and doctoralcandidates.
The group of PhD students formed a very warm atmosphere during the workshop, both in thepresentation room as well as during the breaks. We had inspiring conversations in which we
continued our discussions about research at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I hope our academic
friendships will last.
Sponsorship of this workshop for the participants made my participation possible and I want toexpress my gratitude to the organizers.
Ksenia Kurochkina
Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University, JapanThanks to the EAJS and the Toshiba International Foundation I was able to visit the 15th EAJS
PhD Workshop in Cork, Ireland, from 20 to 23 August 2019. It was my first time in Ireland and I
really appreciated the people and the beautiful landscape.
Cork was a wonderful place to visit and we had a tight, but interesting workshop encompassing avariety of different PhD projects. Since completing my BA in 2014, I had no opportunity to get
involved in ongoing debates in the various fields of Japanese Studies. Fortunately, therefore, thisworkshop has allowed me to achieve my goal of reconnecting with the field of Japanese Studies.
I met so many interesting people and we could talk about our projects rather openly – not justduring the workshop itself, but also during the delicious dinners or the long walks back to our
accommodation. Since I was one of the few participants still at the beginning of their project, I wasable to learn a lot from the more advanced participants, e.g. how to deal with various problems
that one might encounter during one’s PhD project. I am really looking forward to reading thecompleted theses of my fellow workshop participants.
It was the first time I presented my own thesis outside of HCAS, and I now understand how
important it is to present one’s own project to people who are not used to the research context inwhich I work. I need to emphasize more strongly the central points in theory and methodology, as
well as the aim of my work to present adequately, so that everyone can understand my intentions– especially if there are only a few people from the field of religious studies in the audience. I willkeep this insight in mind for the future.
Another insight I gained during the workshop and which I would like to mention at the end: Start
Writing!
Elisabeth MarxHCAS Multiple Secularities, University of Leipzig, Germany
Attending the 15th EAJS PhD Workshop in Cork in August 2019 was a challenging yet rewarding
experience. It was an opportunity for me to present my research project as well as some preliminary
results to an audience whose academic expertise was fairly divorced from my specific field. This
challenged me to rethink my project and the way I speak and write about it. It also gave me thechance to approach it from different angles. Thus, even preparing my presentation for theworkshop, in a way, was tremendously productive for my research at this early stage of my PhD
project.
I naturally benefited greatly from comments by senior scholars and fellow participants on a numberof aspects of my project, which will help me to structure and develop my future research. The
workshop, however, was indeed much more than just external feedback on my presentation.
Ultimately I realized that I had spent four days packed with intense academic presentations,passionate multidisciplinary discussions, friendly social interactions, and moments of fun andlaughter, all inhabiting seamlessly the atmosphere of the workshop and making it an invaluable
intellectual experience.
All the expectations I had for the EAJS PhD Workshop were greatly exceeded. I would readily
recommend participation to any PhD student working on any aspect of Japan, especially to those
who are at an early stage of their research. Irrespective of one’s expertise, sharing a sense of

community – academic and human – with senior scholars and fellow colleagues at this workshop
is arguably rewarding, encouraging, and inspiring.
Dario Minguzzi
Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

It was a great privilege to be able to participate in the 15th EAJS PhD Workshop and to present myresearch on regulatory signage and the maintenance of public order in Tokyo. Taking place 20-23
August at University College Cork (UCC), the workshop offered a stimulating academic and social
program and was overall an enriching experience.
The opportunity to present my research in front of an international expert audience was a highlightof the workshop. I was incredibly fortunate that Dr Barbara Pizziconi commented on my research
project. Dr Pizziconi’s work on politeness is closely related to my own research on regulatory
signage, and I am extremely grateful for her thoughtful and supportive comments. Other workshop
participants also provided many insightful comments, and the fact that the other participants were
so interested in my topic was highly motivating. I was particularly fortunate that UCC lecturer Dr
Tatsuma Padoan also attended the workshop and provided feedback on my project, as he has
previously worked on manner posters and is therefore very knowledgeable about the topic. It wasan absolute pleasure to present in front of such a well-informed and interested audience, and it wasamazing to meet academics who share my passion for signage in Japanese urban space.
Other parts of the workshop were equally rewarding. Meeting other participants and learning about
all the exciting work that is carried out in Japanese Studies across Europe was another highlight of
the workshop, and I was particularly delighted to meet several people with overlapping and related
research interests. Finally, the workshop’s social program allowed us to continue academic debates
in an informal setting and to get to know our peers and future colleagues, as well as the participating
senior academics. The workshop thus offered participants a special opportunity to become part ofa European community of Japan scholars.
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the EAJS, Dr Till Weingärtner and the participating senioracademics as well as the Japan Foundation, the Toshiba International Foundation, and everyone
else involved in making this workshop possible.
Christoph Schimkowsky
University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
I am very grateful for having had the opportunity of participating in the 15th EAJS Workshop for
Doctoral Students in Cork, Ireland.
Before the workshop, my research had got stuck and I was a little lost in the data I had collected.
During the workshop I received very good feedback from the senior scholars and the otherstudents as well as some general advice. It was also very helpful to meet fellow students from allover Europe who are in the same situation, to exchange ideas and have fruitful discussions. The
atmosphere was relaxed, and we had many opportunities to talk during breaks and dinner. It wasparticularly interesting to get feedback and suggestions from so many different perspectives. I also

learned a lot from the other student’s presentations, which covered a wide range of topics anddisciplines and thus opened my horizon a little more.
The organization was also very good, from the selection process to the provision of the necessary
information before the workshop to the workshop itself. We were welcomed very cordially and I
think we all spent an interesting and fruitful time together.
The helpful feedback I received during the workshop as well as the change of scenery from hometo this beautiful country helped me to focus more and gave me new motivation. Now I am full ofenergy to start my writing process.
I would like to thank the EAJS, the Toshiba International Foundation and the Japan Foundationfor organizing and hosting this wonderful event.
Chaline Timmerarens
Graduate School of East Asian Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Being in the third year of my PhD and in the middle of writing my dissertation, I applied for the
15th EAJS Workshop with the hope to receive constructive feedback before defending mydissertation. It was a great privilege for me to be selected and a greater challenge to rethink myproject in English. Sincerely, this workshop has been an intellectual enrichment and a personal
development opportunity. I cannot thank enough the other participants, young or well-establishedresearchers alike, for their warm welcome, rigorous advice and contagious good mood. I am
particularly grateful to Dr. Petkova, my assigned advisor in the workshop, for her valuablecomments. Our discussion about the role of emotions in Japanese aesthetics helped me to develop
a more compelling argument. In addition, I was greatly inspired by other presentations on Japanese
literature and the many critical approaches to the discussed texts. While my main interest lies in thearts, I could also enjoy many intriguing and contrasting presentations on social sciences, linguistics,
politics and many more. I have to admit I was in a writing slump before the workshop and needed
to refocus. The encouragement I received helped me regain my enthusiasm, optimism anddetermination. I am very happy to say I am writing my seven hundred words a day again! I would
like to express my profound gratitude to everyone and hope to have the opportunity to work withall of you very soon.
Agathe Tran
University Paris Diderot, France
Attending the 15th EAJS PhD Workshop in Cork was a valuable opportunity for me to further
develop my research project in various ways. I attended the Workshop towards the end of my firstyear as a PhD student. I used this opportunity to present my research ideas and design. The
constructive comments, questions and suggestions I received were not only insightful, but also
inspiring and stimulating. Moreover, these comments and suggestions were particularly helpful as
I was preparing for my fieldwork in Japan and Vietnam at the time of the workshop.
In addition, the workshop participants worked on a broad spectrum of disciplines (from literature
to religious and media studies to sociology and anthropology), offering a variety of contemporary
perspectives on Japan. The Workshop also fostered a great informal environment for the exchangeof ideas, information and experiences between senior advisors and PhD candidates to. I believethat the networks and connections created during the Workshop will lead to great collaborationsin the future.
Last but not least, I really appreciate all the effort of coordinators from the EAJS (special thanks
to Lorenz of the EAJS Office), the University College Cork (special thanks to Dr. Weingärtner) as
well as all the participants who made this Workshop possible and a great event.
An Huy Tran
University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
I had the great privilege to participate in the 15th EAJS PhD workshop at University College Cork,
Ireland in August 2019. This experience was highly rewarding and, as I am in the final writing phaseof my dissertation, I feel much better able to submit a strong PhD thesis.
My project is a sociological study of men’s grooming in contemporary Japan and I was very
fortunate to receive expert feedback, especially from Prof. Judit Hidasi and Prof. Christian Tagsold,in addition to many valuable insights from my fellow participants.
Indeed, the opportunity to interact with other participants from various methodological fields was
highly productive and stimulating. I have learned a lot from others’ presentations, and thethoughtful discussions about not only others’ but also my own research have led me to identify
potential problems I need to address. In addition, I gained new perspectives on my topic, which
could be very fruitful for further research.
The open and supportive atmosphere was also a great strength of the workshop. This was not only
true for the presentations, but also for the breaks and meals. Building networks is of course key indeveloping a career in academia and there was ample time to interact with and find common
interests with other participants as well as with the senior scholars. Indeed, these connections arehighly appreciated and will surely be of great value in the future.
I would like to thank the EAJS for organizing this event and Dr. Till Weingärtner for his hard workin hosting it. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Japan Foundation and the Toshiba
International Foundation whose generous support has made possible such a valuable event.
Christopher Tso
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
It was a wonderful experience to visit beautiful Ireland and to participate in the EAJS PhD
Workshop, which made it possible for me to communicate with many outstanding scholars and
PhD researchers. I am deeply grateful for this precious opportunity and the memory it gave me.
I received useful feedback from the senior scholars and felt that I could also develop mypresentation skills and oral expression. In addition, many of the other PhD students also kindly
gave me advice and shared with me their views on my topic, which was even more valuable than I
had expected. Living together with the other doctoral students in the same dormitory also offered
us many opportunities to talk to each other about things other than academic content. We went
outside for a coffee and shared a lot about our lives beyond our research interests. Theseexperiences helped us to overcome boundaries and build a true foundation for future friendships.

The logistical organization was also very extensive. We had great meals together several times andreceived a delicious breakfast every day. There were also enough tea breaks during the sessions.
When I reflect on the experiences I made in the EAJS PhD Workshop, I wish I had been morecourageous to talk more to people and had enough time to stay in Ireland after the workshop.
However, I feel already very grateful to have met so many interesting people who shared similarlife experiences or research interests in Japan, this distant country on the other side of thiscontinent, which was ultimately the reason for our gathering.
Jing Wang
University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
It has been a great privilege to be selected as a participant for the 15th EAJS PhD Workshop, which
has been a wonderful opportunity to not only engage in rich intellectual discussions, but also create
an interdisciplinary network of young researchers.
It has been particularly beneficial to write a paper summarizing my dissertation, as it forced me torethink the overall structure of my project. I fear that too often, when focusing on particular issues,
we are caught in details and forget about the larger picture. This workshop was the perfect setting
to look back at the larger questions, potential contributions and difficulties, while receiving precious
comments from senior researchers. Moreover, reading the other participants’ papers and hearing
the discussions following their presentations was insightful, as some of the theoretical and/or
methodological interests and difficulties overlapped with mine.
More generally, I truly enjoyed the format of the workshop, as lunch breaks and dinners made it
possible to continue discussions in relaxed environments. I was able to meet wonderful peers withwhom I hope to exchange more in the future.
I would like to express my deep appreciation to the organizers, the supervisors, the Toshiba
International Foundation as well as the Japan foundation, for making this wonderful workshop
possible. I would highly recommend other PhD students to participate in upcoming workshops,
as they offer a unique space to critically, yet respectfully, engage with our research projects.
Marie Weishaupt
Graduate School of East Asian Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, GermanyWe gratefully acknowledge financial support for this event from: