TRANSCULTURAL COSPLAY: THE EVOLUTION OF COSTUME PLAY WITH DR. LORI MORIMOTO
LECTURE

PRESENTED BY JICC, EMBASSY OF JAPAN

28 OCT 2022 FRI, 6:30 PMJICC

The Japan Information & Culture Center will be hosting Dr. Lori Hitchcock Morimoto for a lecture on cosplay.

Cosplay (コスプレ, kosupure), the compound word for "costume play," is a performance art where participants, or cosplayers, don costumes and accessories to portray a specific character. Japanese anime, manga, and video games are often sources of inspiration which has arguably contributed to cosplay becoming synonymous with Japanese culture on a global scale.

Dr. Morimoto will explore the transnational spread and evolution of contemporary cosplay culture, from the term cosplay’s introduction into Japanese anime fan practices, to its inclusion in global anime fan communities. Join us as Dr. Morimoto examines cosplay’s evolution as well as the meanings and practices that cosplay has come to encompass.

Dr. Lori Hitchcock Morimoto is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Media Studies at the University of Virginia. She researches transnational media fandom and East Asian film/media co-production, distribution, and reception.

Dr. Morimoto's work has been published in East Asian Journal of Popular Culture, Mechademia: Second Arc, Transformative Works and Cultures, Participations, and Asian Cinema. She has also contributed to the books Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World (NYU Press, 2017), The Routledge Companion to Media Fandom (Routledge, 2018), A Companion to Media Fandom and Fan Studies (Wiley-Blackwell, 2018), and Fan Studies Primer: Method, Research, Ethics (Iowa, 2021).

Dr. Morimoto currently teaches undergraduate courses on media fandom, Japanese film, East Asian transnational media, and videographic criticism.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration through Eventbrite is required. Doors open at 6:00PM. The program begins at 6:30PM. No admittance after 6:30PM or once seating is full. Please wear a mask inside of the JICC's auditorium. For our full COVID-19 policies, please click here.

Registered guests be seated on a first come, first served basis. Please note that seating is limited and in accordance with COVID guidelines the JICC is currently allowing only half-capacity in the auditorium. Registration does not guarantee a seat. Walk-ins will not be accepted.

To modify your registration, please email jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp. Your registration is not transferable.