November 29, 2001
Katz lecturer shows relevance of early Japanese culture
UW Professor Susan Hanley of the Jackson School of International Studies will speak on Japan’s Traditional Lifestyles: Reflections in 2001 as the fall Solomon Katz Lecturer in the Humanities. The talk will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6 in 220 Kane.
Hanley will discuss how traditional lifestyles in the centuries preceding Japan’s industrialization were forged in the turbulent years of civil war in the 16th century and during the peace following unification in 1600. Despite a growing population, three major famines, and limited land and resources, Hanley shows, the economy grew, and the Japanese developed a simple and ecological lifestyle that was also aesthetic and healthful. This lecture will examine how the Japanese created this lifestyle and reflect on what might be learned from them in the current tumultuous times when we too are faced with environmental, economic, and security concerns.
Hanley is Professor of Japanese Studies and History at the UW and serves as co-editor of The Journal of Japanese Studies, which she also helped found. Her research focuses on the demographic, social, and economic history of pre-modern Japan from the 17th through 19th centuries. Her most recent book, Everyday Things in Premodern Japan: The Hidden Legacy of Material Culture, has won prizes in both the United States and Japan.
The Solomon Katz Distinguished Lecturers in the Humanities Series was established in 1975 and presents three speakers during the academic year, two from other institutions and one from the UW faculty. The series is named in honor of the late Professor Solomon Katz, a distinguished member of the UW faculty and former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. For further information, contact Liz Browning at the Simpson Center for the Humanities at 206-543-3920.
