International Conference "Traces of the Past, Horizons of the Future: Exploring Japan at the Crossroads of Humanities, Technology and Global Dialogue"

General info

The Department of Asian Studies at the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula (Aldo Negri Street 6 /Ul. Alda Negrija 6) is delighted to announce an international conference marking the 10th anniversary of Japanese Studies in Pula. This milestone celebration will bring together voices from across disciplines, regions, and generations to reflect on the past, interrogate the present, and envision the future of Japanese studies—both locally and globally.

Conference Theme and Scope

The central aim of this conference is to foster dialogue on Japanese language, culture, society, and history, especially within the evolving landscape of global academic collaboration. We particularly welcome contributions that explore intersections of humanities, technology, and global dialogue—from digital humanities and artificial intelligence to nation-building, language politics, and cultural heritage.

Date: November 14–16, 2025

Keynote speakers: 

• Prof. Emerita Joy Hendry, Oxford Brookes University
  • Anthropology of Japan in a Global Context: Beyond the East West Dichotomy
• Prof. Emeritus/Director Kikuo Maekawa, National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics
  • Prospects and Challenges for the Study of the Japanese Language in Japan: Social Change, AI, and Beyond
• Prof. Emeritus Andrej Bekeš, University of Ljubljana
  • Nation Building, Minority Languages and Multiethnicity in the Global World: Japan and a South Slavic Context Compared

Place: Pula, Croatia

Organizer 

Juraj Dobrila University of Pula (Aldo Negri Street 6 /Ul. Alda Negrija 6), Faculty of Humanities, 

Department of Asian Studies, Japanese Language and Culture

Conference Chair: Prof. Irena Srdanović

Conference Coordinator: Matea Radaković, Assistant

Financial support: Toshiba International Foundation

Organizing Committee:

• Lina Pliško, Full Professor, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Irena Srdanović, Full Professor, Head of Department of Asian Studies, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Dragana Špica, Assistant Professor, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Stefani Silli, Language Instructor, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Saeko Yamauchi, Language Instructor, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Matea Radaković, Teaching Assistant, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Dora Bračun, Teaching Assistant, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Nikola Barić, Teaching Assistant, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Sara Dangubić, Teaching Assistant, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

Scientific Committee:

• Irena Srdanović, Full Professor, Head of Department of Asian Studies, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Dragana Špica, Assistant Professor, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Stefani Silli, Language Instructor, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Saeko Yamauchi, Language Instructor, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Matea Radaković, Teaching Assistant, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

• Nataša Visočnik Gerželj, Associate Professor, University of Ljubljana

• Nagisa Moritoki Škof, Assistant Professor, University of Ljubljana

• Danijela Vasić, Associate Professor, University of Belgrade

• Divna Tričković, Associate Professor, University of Belgrade

• Dalibor Kličković, Associate Professor, University of Belgrade

• Divna Glumac, Assistant Professor, University of Belgrade

• Kristina Hmeljak Sangawa, Assistant Professor, University of Ljubljana

• Nina Golob, Assistant Professor, University of Ljubljana

• Tinka Delakorda Kawashima, Associate Professor, Hiroshima University

• Boštjan Bertalanič, Associate Professor, Josai University

• Jiří Matela, Assistant Professor, Masaryk University

• Sara Librenjak, PhD, Lecturer

• Takehiko Maruyama, Professor, Senshu University

• Kenta Yamada, Professor, Senshu University

• Stella Todorova Zivkova, Professor, Sofia University

• Halina Zawiszová, Assistant Professor, Palacký University Olomouc

• Vít Ulman, Assistant Professor, Palacký University Olomouc

• Ra Mason, Associate Professor, University of East Anglia

• Cao Hongquan, Professor, Xi'an Jiaotong University

• Igor Grbić, Associate Professor, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula