Hiroki Azuma
Encyclopedia
, born May 9, 1971 in Mitaka, Tokyo
is a Japanese
cultural critic
.
(in "Culture and Representation") from the University of Tokyo
in 1999 and became a professor at the International University of Japan
in 2003. He was an Executive Research Fellow and Professor at the Center for Global Communications (GLOCOM), and a Research Fellow at Stanford University
's Japan Center. Since 2006 he has been working at the Center for Study of World Civilizations at the Tokyo Institute of Technology
.
Azuma is married to the writer and poet Hoshio Sanae. They have one child. His father-in-law is the translator, novelist, and occasional critic Kotaka Nobumitsu.
in Japan, focusing on literature and on the idea of individual liberty in an age of ubiquitous information.
He began writing inspired by the work of Kojin Karatani
and Akira Asada
. He is an associate of Takashi Murakami
and the Superflat
movement. His publishing debut was "Solzhenitsyn
Essay" in 1993. Azuma handed the work directly to Karatani during his lecture series at Hosei University
which Azuma was auditing.
Azuma launched his career as a literary critic in 1993 with a postmodern style influenced by leading Japanese critics Kojin Karatani
and Akira Asada
. In the late 1990s, Azuma began examining various pop phenomena, especially the emerging otaku
/Internet
/video game culture, and became widely known as an advocate of the thoughts of a new generation of Japanese. He is interested in the transformation of the Japanese literary imagination under its current “otaku-ization.”
Azuma has published seven books, including in 1998, which focuses on Jacques Derrida
's oscillation between literature and philosophy. This work won the Suntory Literary Prize in 2000 and made Azuma the youngest writer to ever win that prize. Akira Asada stated that it is one the best books written in the 90s. However, Hiroo Yamagata pointed out that the book is based on the misunderstanding of Godel's incompleteness theorem. He also wrote (translated as Otaku: Japan's Database Animals in 2001), which analyzes Japanese pop culture through a postmodern lens. He has also set up a non-profit organization
to encourage cutting-edge critics who might be shut out of the existing publishing world.
Mitaka, Tokyo
is a city located in Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 November 2010, the city has an estimated population of 176,737. The total area is 16.50 km² and is about 50 – 55 meters above sea level...
is a Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
cultural critic
Cultural critic
A cultural critic is a critic of a given culture, usually as a whole and typically on a radical basis. There is significant overlap with social and cultural theory.-Terminology:...
.
Biography
He received his Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(in "Culture and Representation") from the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
in 1999 and became a professor at the International University of Japan
International University of Japan
The is a private university located in Minami-Uonuma city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.IUJ is the first, and one of the few Japanese universities which run their courses entirely in English. It was founded in 1982, primarily with the aim of providing a platform for delegates from all over the...
in 2003. He was an Executive Research Fellow and Professor at the Center for Global Communications (GLOCOM), and a Research Fellow at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
's Japan Center. Since 2006 he has been working at the Center for Study of World Civilizations at the Tokyo Institute of Technology
Tokyo Institute of Technology
The Tokyo Institute of Technology is a public research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology. Tokyo Tech enrolled 4,850 undergaraduates and 5006 graduate students for 2009-2010...
.
Azuma is married to the writer and poet Hoshio Sanae. They have one child. His father-in-law is the translator, novelist, and occasional critic Kotaka Nobumitsu.
Work
Hiroki Azuma is one of the most influential young literary criticsLiterary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
in Japan, focusing on literature and on the idea of individual liberty in an age of ubiquitous information.
He began writing inspired by the work of Kojin Karatani
Kojin Karatani
is a Japanese philosopher and literary critic.-Biography:Karatani was educated at University of Tokyo where he took a BA degree in economics and an MA in English literature. The Gunzō Literary Prize, which he received at the age of 27 for an essay on Natsume Sōseki, was the first critical acclaim...
and Akira Asada
Akira Asada
is a Japanese postmodern critic and curator, whose interests include contemporary arts, history of social thoughts, and economic philosophy. He is currently the Dean of the Graduate School at the Kyoto University of Art and Design. Until March 2008, he served as an associate professor of economics...
. He is an associate of Takashi Murakami
Takashi Murakami
is an internationally prolific contemporary Japanese artist. He works in fine arts media—such as painting and sculpture—as well as what is conventionally considered commercial media —fashion, merchandise, and animation— and is known for blurring the line between high and low art...
and the Superflat
Superflat
Superflat is a postmodern art movement, founded by the artist Takashi Murakami, which is influenced by manga and anime. It is also the name of a 2001 art exhibition, curated by Murakami, that toured West Hollywood, Minneapolis and Seattle....
movement. His publishing debut was "Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was aRussian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. Through his often-suppressed writings, he helped to raise global awareness of the Gulag, the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system – particularly in The Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of...
Essay" in 1993. Azuma handed the work directly to Karatani during his lecture series at Hosei University
Hosei University
is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan.The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha , established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō . This was from 1883 headed by Dr. Gustave Emile Boissonade, and was heavily influenced by the French legal tradition...
which Azuma was auditing.
Azuma launched his career as a literary critic in 1993 with a postmodern style influenced by leading Japanese critics Kojin Karatani
Kojin Karatani
is a Japanese philosopher and literary critic.-Biography:Karatani was educated at University of Tokyo where he took a BA degree in economics and an MA in English literature. The Gunzō Literary Prize, which he received at the age of 27 for an essay on Natsume Sōseki, was the first critical acclaim...
and Akira Asada
Akira Asada
is a Japanese postmodern critic and curator, whose interests include contemporary arts, history of social thoughts, and economic philosophy. He is currently the Dean of the Graduate School at the Kyoto University of Art and Design. Until March 2008, he served as an associate professor of economics...
. In the late 1990s, Azuma began examining various pop phenomena, especially the emerging otaku
Otaku
is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
/Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
/video game culture, and became widely known as an advocate of the thoughts of a new generation of Japanese. He is interested in the transformation of the Japanese literary imagination under its current “otaku-ization.”
Azuma has published seven books, including in 1998, which focuses on Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher, born in French Algeria. He developed the critical theory known as deconstruction and his work has been labeled as post-structuralism and associated with postmodern philosophy...
's oscillation between literature and philosophy. This work won the Suntory Literary Prize in 2000 and made Azuma the youngest writer to ever win that prize. Akira Asada stated that it is one the best books written in the 90s. However, Hiroo Yamagata pointed out that the book is based on the misunderstanding of Godel's incompleteness theorem. He also wrote (translated as Otaku: Japan's Database Animals in 2001), which analyzes Japanese pop culture through a postmodern lens. He has also set up a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
to encourage cutting-edge critics who might be shut out of the existing publishing world.
Works
- Azuma, Hiroki. Otaku. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2009.
- Azuma, Hiroki. (2007) "The Animalization of Otaku Culture" MechademiaMechademia-Reception:Steve Raiteri from Library Journal commends Mechademia as a "great first effort [...] bridg[ing] the gap between academics and fans." Christophe Thouny, writing for Animation also thought the writing and tone was accessible by both academics and fans...
2 175-188.
External links
- Hiroki Azuma's homepage and blog
- "Anime, or something like it: Neon Genesis EvangelionNeon Genesis Evangelion, commonly referred to as Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful Japanese anime series that began airing in October 1995. The series was highly influential, and launched the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. It garnered several major animation awards...
" - "Towards a cartography of Japanese anime: Anno Hideaki's >>Evangelion<<. Interview with Azuma Hiroki"