On 30-31st October, the Japanese Programme at the University of Canterbury hosted a very successful mini workshop titled, “Tohoku/Christchurch: Reflections on the Socio-cultural Impacts of the Quakes”, in conjunction with colleagues from Tohoku University and Kobe University.
Presenters came from a range of areas including Religious Studies, Folklore, Anthropology, Sociology, English & Digital Humanities, Japanese Studies, Political Science and Creative & Performing Arts. In addition, we were very fortunate to have presentations by Dr Ryan Reynolds from “Gap Filler” and Assoc-Prof Roy Starrs from Otago University.
The workshop provided an excellent opportunity for colleagues from both sides to share their work on the impact of the quakes on people’s lives, communities, cultural and religious practices and the like in Tohoku and Christchurch, and to exchange ideas. We thank and congratulate the presenters for their informative and inspiring talks. We thank also the participants from UC, CPIT, Lincoln and ECAN. All contributed to making this workshop a success.