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Papers by Anthony Bekirov

The Coronavirus Pandemic in Japanese Literature and Popular Culture, 2023

In this chapter, I will discuss the societal phenomenon surrounding the yōkai amabie during the i... more In this chapter, I will discuss the societal phenomenon surrounding the yōkai amabie during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Japan in 2020. Originating from a trending hashtag on Twitter that challenged users to draw their own amabie, her fame quickly spread into the consumer market with amabie-themed trinkets and protective charms. Eventually, amabie became the face of the collective effort against the virus and was adopted by shrines across the country as a tutelary divinity for the coronavirus pandemic. However, through a memetic study of the history of representations of yōkai in Japan, I will argue for her significance as a countercultural artifact rather than a mainstream governmental instrument. I mainly focus my study on late Edo, when amabie was first drawn and cheap woodblock prints (kawaraban) of yogenjū or “prophetic beasts” warning against incoming plagues. These popular prints nurtured an ecosystem of images free from governmental control and acted as a venue of free speech for people to offer social commentary on current events. By transforming and sharing their own kawaraban, people were countering Edo’s obsession with systems and encyclopedic knowledge. It is not coincidence that the resurgence of amabie came about in the context of the COVID pandemic, which forced countries to take radical measures regarding public hygiene and social distancing. By sharing drawings of the yōkai online and turning a meme into a divinity, the people created an instrument of subversion in a time of intense regulations.

Into the Fantastical Spaces of Contemporary Japanese Literature, 2022

Focusing mainly on “Ai no Seikatsu” (1968), “Mori no Meryujīn” (1970), “Eien no Koibito” (1971), ... more Focusing mainly on “Ai no Seikatsu” (1968), “Mori no Meryujīn” (1970), “Eien no Koibito” (1971), “Boshizō” (1972), “Usagi” (1973) and “Haru no Koe” (in “Tangoshū”, 1979), this study will explore the strategies the author utilizes to conjure a kind of oneiric narrative space where time and space are fragmented. Through shapeshifting characters, impromptu flashbacks, and generally a lack of logical, spatial and time connectors between sentences, Kanai depicts complex spatio-temporal features. Ultimately, it seems as if the text narrates itself being created, thus turning the plot into a meta-fiction of a sort not uncommon among contemporary artworks of the time. In last analysis, we would argue that the oneiric fragmentation of space and time is a response to a similarly fractured Japan from the late 60’s, less as a mean to escapism than a depiction of a social nightmare.

Ce volume propose une relecture du Qu’est-ce que la philosophie?, ultime opus (1991) écrit à quat... more Ce volume propose une relecture du Qu’est-ce que la philosophie?, ultime opus (1991) écrit à quatre mains par Gilles Deleuze et Félix Guattari. Il veut donner accès à ce texte difficile en montrant comment les concepts qui y sont définis permettent de penser plus avant, entre autres la composition musicale et le geste même de prendre pour objet l’acte de philosopher. Il invite encore à confronter la pensée des deux philosophes à d’autres réflexions, amies ou ennemies. Mais il montre encore que, loin d’être une météorite, l’œuvre s’inscrit, jusque dans sa créativité la plus débridée, dans la tradition de la métaphysique occidentale. A ce titre, le volume n’est donc pas un simple essai de doxographie. Il se veut une tentative de penser dans le sillage ouvert par l’inventivité philosophique de Gilles Deleuze et Félix Guattari, en même temps qu’une invitation à déplier la créativité de sa propre pensée au contact d’une œuvre dont la fécondité est encore à venir

Ce travail explore la production littéraire de l’écrivaine japonaise Kanai Mieko (1947-). Plus pr... more Ce travail explore la production littéraire de l’écrivaine japonaise Kanai Mieko (1947-). Plus précisément, il se concentre sur la production de l’écrivaine entre 1967 et 1975, période durant laquelle Kanai mélange représentations horrifiques de sexualités « perverses » et expérimentations narratives. Ces expérimentations narratives sont à lire au prisme de la théorie de « l’écriture charnelle » qu’elle développe dans deux essais : « Vers une théorie du corps charnel » (1969) et « Texte/Réalité/Chair » (1984). Dans ces essais, elle expose son idée selon laquelle l’écriture peut être charnelle en redonnant au lecteur une agentivité physique, concrète dans la création du texte. En outre, Kanai développe dans ses nouvelles une intertextualité avec le mouvement littéraire d’avant-guerre dit ero-guro-nansensu, en particulier avec les figures majeures d’Edogawa Ranpo (1894-1965) et de Yumeno Kyūsaku (1889-1936), qui ont également expérimenté avec la position du lecteur au travers de représentations grotesques de la sexualité.

Si le romanesque est un type d'expression artistique lié à l'histoire des techniques, alors le je... more Si le romanesque est un type d'expression artistique lié à l'histoire des techniques, alors le jeu vidéo semble en être aujourd'hui une instanciation exemplaire. La généalogie du jeu vidéo nous montre qu'il s'inscrit une lignée singulière depuis le roman arthurien en passant par diverses reformulations d'un imaginaire médiéval fantaisiste. En outre, la société post-industrielle du xxe siècle, qui sépare loisir et travail, est un autre facteur décisif de l'émergence d'un nouveau romanesque.

Conference Presentations by Anthony Bekirov

Visual Contagions through the Lens of New Media, 2021

Alternate Reality Games, or ARGs, typically refer to practices where audiovisual mediums and life... more Alternate Reality Games, or ARGs, typically refer to practices where audiovisual mediums and life-size role-playing games are intertwined – such as Cicada or historical reenactments. They are limited in time, and will often present players with cryptic problems that require a collective effort to be solved.
More recent contributions to the genre have relied heavily on discussion boards and social networks to create a new brand of ARG, one in which the individual viewing experience is absorbed into a collective exegesis. These can be internet videos, fictional video games, music albums, etc. The one commonality between them is the fact they are presented neither as a game nor as a problem awaiting resolution; their creators, in fact, try hard to hide the fact they are ARGs at all. However, the viewer will notice audiovisual or narrative inconsistencies that create a divergence between the actual viewing and the “ideal”, unsuspecting viewing. The “game” for the viewer consists therefore of understanding there is a game. The viewer will then be led to other mediums (video games, websites, geographical locations, mp3 files, etc.) relevant to the ARG – indeed a cross-platform experience. Because the spectator will gain access to these other mediums through hints within the ARG, their interpretative power is inexhaustible, as any element could be another clue to the problem. Every aspect of the work thus becomes a sign or symbol in a virtually endless set of meanings.
In this intervention, we will present, analyze and try to situate ARGs within the mediums they invoke. Furthermore, we will discuss the psychological aspect of playing an ARG, that is, how this new kind of narration posits the virtual as an aesthetic of its own.

The Coronavirus Pandemic in Japanese Literature and Popular Culture, 2023

In this chapter, I will discuss the societal phenomenon surrounding the yōkai amabie during the i... more In this chapter, I will discuss the societal phenomenon surrounding the yōkai amabie during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Japan in 2020. Originating from a trending hashtag on Twitter that challenged users to draw their own amabie, her fame quickly spread into the consumer market with amabie-themed trinkets and protective charms. Eventually, amabie became the face of the collective effort against the virus and was adopted by shrines across the country as a tutelary divinity for the coronavirus pandemic. However, through a memetic study of the history of representations of yōkai in Japan, I will argue for her significance as a countercultural artifact rather than a mainstream governmental instrument. I mainly focus my study on late Edo, when amabie was first drawn and cheap woodblock prints (kawaraban) of yogenjū or “prophetic beasts” warning against incoming plagues. These popular prints nurtured an ecosystem of images free from governmental control and acted as a venue of free speech for people to offer social commentary on current events. By transforming and sharing their own kawaraban, people were countering Edo’s obsession with systems and encyclopedic knowledge. It is not coincidence that the resurgence of amabie came about in the context of the COVID pandemic, which forced countries to take radical measures regarding public hygiene and social distancing. By sharing drawings of the yōkai online and turning a meme into a divinity, the people created an instrument of subversion in a time of intense regulations.

Into the Fantastical Spaces of Contemporary Japanese Literature, 2022

Focusing mainly on “Ai no Seikatsu” (1968), “Mori no Meryujīn” (1970), “Eien no Koibito” (1971), ... more Focusing mainly on “Ai no Seikatsu” (1968), “Mori no Meryujīn” (1970), “Eien no Koibito” (1971), “Boshizō” (1972), “Usagi” (1973) and “Haru no Koe” (in “Tangoshū”, 1979), this study will explore the strategies the author utilizes to conjure a kind of oneiric narrative space where time and space are fragmented. Through shapeshifting characters, impromptu flashbacks, and generally a lack of logical, spatial and time connectors between sentences, Kanai depicts complex spatio-temporal features. Ultimately, it seems as if the text narrates itself being created, thus turning the plot into a meta-fiction of a sort not uncommon among contemporary artworks of the time. In last analysis, we would argue that the oneiric fragmentation of space and time is a response to a similarly fractured Japan from the late 60’s, less as a mean to escapism than a depiction of a social nightmare.

Ce volume propose une relecture du Qu’est-ce que la philosophie?, ultime opus (1991) écrit à quat... more Ce volume propose une relecture du Qu’est-ce que la philosophie?, ultime opus (1991) écrit à quatre mains par Gilles Deleuze et Félix Guattari. Il veut donner accès à ce texte difficile en montrant comment les concepts qui y sont définis permettent de penser plus avant, entre autres la composition musicale et le geste même de prendre pour objet l’acte de philosopher. Il invite encore à confronter la pensée des deux philosophes à d’autres réflexions, amies ou ennemies. Mais il montre encore que, loin d’être une météorite, l’œuvre s’inscrit, jusque dans sa créativité la plus débridée, dans la tradition de la métaphysique occidentale. A ce titre, le volume n’est donc pas un simple essai de doxographie. Il se veut une tentative de penser dans le sillage ouvert par l’inventivité philosophique de Gilles Deleuze et Félix Guattari, en même temps qu’une invitation à déplier la créativité de sa propre pensée au contact d’une œuvre dont la fécondité est encore à venir

Ce travail explore la production littéraire de l’écrivaine japonaise Kanai Mieko (1947-). Plus pr... more Ce travail explore la production littéraire de l’écrivaine japonaise Kanai Mieko (1947-). Plus précisément, il se concentre sur la production de l’écrivaine entre 1967 et 1975, période durant laquelle Kanai mélange représentations horrifiques de sexualités « perverses » et expérimentations narratives. Ces expérimentations narratives sont à lire au prisme de la théorie de « l’écriture charnelle » qu’elle développe dans deux essais : « Vers une théorie du corps charnel » (1969) et « Texte/Réalité/Chair » (1984). Dans ces essais, elle expose son idée selon laquelle l’écriture peut être charnelle en redonnant au lecteur une agentivité physique, concrète dans la création du texte. En outre, Kanai développe dans ses nouvelles une intertextualité avec le mouvement littéraire d’avant-guerre dit ero-guro-nansensu, en particulier avec les figures majeures d’Edogawa Ranpo (1894-1965) et de Yumeno Kyūsaku (1889-1936), qui ont également expérimenté avec la position du lecteur au travers de représentations grotesques de la sexualité.

Si le romanesque est un type d'expression artistique lié à l'histoire des techniques, alors le je... more Si le romanesque est un type d'expression artistique lié à l'histoire des techniques, alors le jeu vidéo semble en être aujourd'hui une instanciation exemplaire. La généalogie du jeu vidéo nous montre qu'il s'inscrit une lignée singulière depuis le roman arthurien en passant par diverses reformulations d'un imaginaire médiéval fantaisiste. En outre, la société post-industrielle du xxe siècle, qui sépare loisir et travail, est un autre facteur décisif de l'émergence d'un nouveau romanesque.

Visual Contagions through the Lens of New Media, 2021

Alternate Reality Games, or ARGs, typically refer to practices where audiovisual mediums and life... more Alternate Reality Games, or ARGs, typically refer to practices where audiovisual mediums and life-size role-playing games are intertwined – such as Cicada or historical reenactments. They are limited in time, and will often present players with cryptic problems that require a collective effort to be solved.
More recent contributions to the genre have relied heavily on discussion boards and social networks to create a new brand of ARG, one in which the individual viewing experience is absorbed into a collective exegesis. These can be internet videos, fictional video games, music albums, etc. The one commonality between them is the fact they are presented neither as a game nor as a problem awaiting resolution; their creators, in fact, try hard to hide the fact they are ARGs at all. However, the viewer will notice audiovisual or narrative inconsistencies that create a divergence between the actual viewing and the “ideal”, unsuspecting viewing. The “game” for the viewer consists therefore of understanding there is a game. The viewer will then be led to other mediums (video games, websites, geographical locations, mp3 files, etc.) relevant to the ARG – indeed a cross-platform experience. Because the spectator will gain access to these other mediums through hints within the ARG, their interpretative power is inexhaustible, as any element could be another clue to the problem. Every aspect of the work thus becomes a sign or symbol in a virtually endless set of meanings.
In this intervention, we will present, analyze and try to situate ARGs within the mediums they invoke. Furthermore, we will discuss the psychological aspect of playing an ARG, that is, how this new kind of narration posits the virtual as an aesthetic of its own.