Monstrous Japan – Yōkai and their function

This is the first virtual lecture as part of ISDP’s Japan Center’s new lecture series on Japan and Japanese culture. This lecture will focus on the topic of yōkai (妖怪, monsters) in Japan. Dr. Marie Højlund Roesgaard will introduce us to the ghostly world of Japanese monsters and talk about why we have particular monsters and what social phenomena they may be a reflection of. Dr. Højlund Roesgaard will review different types of monsters and try to put them into a social context as well as discuss what phenomena we, over time, have tried to explain by giving them the shape of monsters. Why do we like to be scared? And why do so many of us enjoy the horror genre?

Dr. Højlund Roesgaard (ph.d.) is Associate Professor in Japanese Studies at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies (ToRS) at the University of Copenhagen. She has worked for many years with modern Japanese society and specialized in the Japanese educational system and educational policies. She has published about educational reform, cram schools (juku), and values education. Dr. Højlund Roesgaard is also well versed in Japanese popular culture, the labor market, family structures, gender roles, and the political system among other things.

This event will be moderated by the head of ISDP’s Stockholm Japan Center, Dr. Lars Vargö.