Against Japanism Research Fund

Hello, my name is Kota and I’m an amatuer historian who hosts a podcast called Against Japanism. My podcast (now a multimedia project) seeks to challenge the commonly held assumptions about Japan as harmonious, homogeneous, and traditional by recasting its history as a history of conflict and change, as the history of class struggles, from anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and intersectional perspectives.

What's your story?

I launched this podcast in March 2021 and as of November I have produced ten episodes in total featuring guests from various disciplines and areas of expertise. Now I’m writing my own book based on the principles outlined above, critiquing historical and contemporary Japanese cultural nationalism through a Marxist perspective. My manuscript is due in December 2022 and if all goes well the book will be published by Repeater Books sometime in 2023.

However, writing a book while producing a podcast, on top of being long-term unemployed (which would hopefully change soon, but the market is looking bleak for an anthropology grad with very little work experience outside of academia) is challenging. Thus, I need to count on your support to cover the expenses as much as possible, and to be able to finish the book in a timely fashion.

As an independent researcher, I also lack institutional affiliation and access to university libraries. This means that I have to purchase many of the books I'm using, if not get them through my network of academic friends, photocopying them on sight, and through other means.

Why GoGetFunding?

I have a separate Patreon page for those who want to support me on a long term basis and receive Patrons-only benefits in return, but I made this page for those who would rather make one-time donations or want to make additional contributions.

While my podcast and book writing are intertwined, this page is specifically dedicated to supporting my book writing and the associated research, and as such it will be kept up until my book is published to cover the related expenses. This is why the goal is set high as GoGetFunding allows campaigns to withdraw the raised funds before the goal is reached. It also doesn't charge donors any fees.

What are your goals?

My most immediate objective, and perhaps the biggest expense involved, is my planned research trip to Japan that I’m hoping to take in Spring 2022.

There are several reasons I want to take this trip.

1. While I plan to start writing my book as early as this December, because most of the secondary sources (books, articles etc written by other scholars) I’m currently working with are in English, and because of the notoriously strict copy rights law in Japan, I have very few resources written in Japanese as they are either difficult to find online or expensive to import via Amazon etc.
2. I would like to collect some primary sources such as pamphlets, interviews, archival information, and other resources in Japanese that might involve some traveling inside the country.
3. As a content producer focused on Japan, I would like to produce content (interviews, travelogues, photos, videos and report backs from protests etc) while I’m there that could be incorporated into the book.

Detailed plans are still up in the air, but I would like to book the flight as soon as possible so I can start planning.

Luckily, I’m able to stay with my family in Tokyo which would save me some money, but the largest expense is my flight from Toronto to there and back. As of November 13, the price on Google Flight is between CAD$980 - $1200. The minimum additional funding of $2000 would cover other travel and research expenses.

I will update this page as my plans get finalized, and my research and writing progresses until the book is published.

If you have any spare funds, please consider donating so I can finish this book and release it for all of you to read! Your support will be hugely appreciated.