NEXT CONFERENCE
The 40th IASIL Japan Conference — Relations
Date: 4-5 October 2025
Venue: Seikei University, Tokyo
Guest Speakers: Nick Laird (novelist and poet) and Charles Ivan Armstrong (University of Agder)
Symposium 1: “Environments in Arts and Literatures”
Chair: Naoko Toraiwa (Meiji Univ)
Panellists: Hiroko Mikami
Yoshiyuki Inoue (Meiji Univ)
Hiroko Ikeda (Kyoto Univ)
Symposium 2: “Lafcadio Hearn and Ireland” (the tentative title)
"Chair: Masaya Shimokusu (Doshisha Univ)
Panellists: Andrew Fitzsimons (Gakushuin Univ)
Eishiro Ito (Iwate Prefectural Univ)
Yoko Kubo (Nihon Univ)
Masaya Shimokusu (Doshisha Univ)
Call for Papers!
The literature of Ireland has long been shaped by the concept of "relations" in multiple forms—personal, political, cultural, and literary. This theme invites an exploration of the various ways in which relationships, both real and imagined, have influenced Irish writing across centuries. From familial bonds and social dynamics to Ireland’s complex ties with Britain, Europe, and the wider world, "relations" serve as a powerful lens through which to examine literary works and their historical, political, and artistic contexts.
The theme also extends to intertextual relations—how Irish writers engage with one another across time, how they converse with global literary traditions, and how adaptation, translation, and reception shape Irish literature’s evolving landscape. In this time of bewildering shifts in the geopolitical landscape, and with renewed debates on Ireland’s place in the world, the idea of "relations" takes on intense and renewed significance, allowing us to revisit canonical texts, rediscover overlooked voices, and interrogate the connections that inform and have formed Irish culture.
We welcome papers that explore this theme, including but not limited to:
・Family and kinship in Irish literature
・Political and colonial relations in Irish writing
・Irish literature and its global connections
・Intertextuality and literary influence among Irish writers
・Gendered relationships in Irish fiction and drama
・The role of language in shaping literary relations (Irish vs. English, etc)
・Diaspora and exile: Irish writers abroad
・Religion and community in Irish poetry and prose
・Literary depictions of North-South relations in Ireland
・Translation and adaptation in Irish literature
・The relationship between oral and written traditions
・Ecology and human-nature relations in contemporary Irish writing
Applicants for a 20-minute paper reading are requested to send a synopsis of 250-300 words as a Word attachment to IASIL Japan office at 
. Besides the synopsis itself, please send details of the author’s affiliation, full postal and e-mail addresses, and telephone number by 31st May 2025.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME ARCHIVE
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