The book, Manga Vision: Cultural and Communicative Perspectives, may be downloaded for free from the OAPEN website. Edited by Sarah Pasfield-Neofitou and Cathy Sell and published by Monash University Publishing, the book "examines cultural and communicative aspects of Japanese comics, drawing together scholars from Japan, Australia and Europe working in areas as diverse as cultural studies, linguistics, education, music, art, anthropology, and translation, to explore the influence of manga in Japan and worldwide via translation, OEL manga and fan engagement." OAPEN features open-access ebooks on social sciences and humanities.
Here's an excerpt from the book:
Manga Vision is divided into two main themes: cultural perspectives and communicative perspectives. However, each chapter deals with both of these themes to some extent. The first section explores manga as an expansive medium through which personal identities and group cultures are expressed and developed. The section explores appropriations of Japanese manga aesthetic for personal uses by both individuals and reader fan groups, and in turn, the ownership and expansion of manga culture internationally. The chapters in section two examine linguistic expression and communication in manga, treating manga as a multi-modal medium through which to understand, learn and interact. It examines how Japanese and other languages are depicted in manga, the interplay between language and visuals, and the use of manga as a resource for teaching and research (p. 9).
JAPANESE STUDIES IN THE PHILIPPINES: A PUBLIC FORUM, 16 MARCH 2019
The UP Asian Center and the Japan Foundation Manila will be holding a public forum, “Japanese Studies in the Philippines,” on 16 March 2019, 8:30 AM – 2:15 PM, at the UP Asian Center, Quezon City. The forum is free and open to the public. Seating is first-come, first-served. Walk-ins are welcome, but interested participants are encouraged to sign up. View abstracts below.
The Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. The Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website.