Making of Japanese Art History

Call for Papers

Submit an Abstract

We welcome submissions from graduate students, early career scholars, and junior museum professionals from all regions engaging in a critical self-inspection of the discursive formation of Japanese art history from the Meiji period to 1989.


Submission Deadline

15 June 2026

Acceptance notifications will be sent by the end of June 2026.


Themes

Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

  • Historiographies of Japanese art in Europe, the Americas, Japan, and other transregional contexts
  • Reproduction, originality, and authenticity as epistemic tools in writing Japanese art history
  • Art education, pedagogy, and the transmission of art-historical knowledge
  • Canon formation, master narratives, and their exclusions
  • Early museum, exhibition, and collection practices shaping the discipline
  • Transcultural actors, mediators, and networks operating beyond national frameworks

Submission Materials

Abstract

250 words, accompanied by three keywords.

Short Biography

100 words.


Presentation Format

Presentations are held on-site at the Heidelberg Center for Transcultural Studies (CATS), 20 minutes in length, and followed by a Q&A session led by an organiser.


How to Submit

Please submit your abstract, keywords, and short biography as a single PDF file to the address below by 15 June 2026.

makingjapanesearthistory@gmail.com