School of Social and Political Science

Description

About the talk:

This presentation offers insight into the role of editors in the construction of career pathways for writers and, consequently, in the formation of contemporary Japanese literature. Previous research has emphasised the importance of encounters and meaningful connections in the construction of a career in the arts. For instance, networking has been considered a fundamental aspect of art production. Scholars have found that meaningful connections facilitate the acquisition of employment opportunities, constitute a vital component of career advancement, mitigate uncertainty, serve as a conduit for the development and sustenance of a vocational identity, provide a source of mutual support in artistic pursuits, and act as a conduit for change and innovation in the arts. Izabela Wagner developed the concept of career coupling to explain the mutual benefits of effective collaboration between young virtuosos and their musical mentors, whereby the success of the former reinforces the professional status of the latter. This paper advances our understanding of collaboration in the arts, with a particular focus on the world of novelists, by demonstrating that editors' decisions to collaborate with debut novelists cannot be reduced to the pursuit of career advancement or the reduction of uncertainty. Rather, it argues that what is at stake is the shaping of aesthetic literary value through collaborations with emerging and established authors, and thus the making of contemporary Japanese literature.

Drawing on qualitative interviews with the editors of Japan's leading literary magazines and Japanese novelists, this paper addresses questions such as: What is the role of editors in shaping the careers of contemporary Japanese novelists? How does their role change at different stages of writers' careers? What are the implications of editors' collaborations with writers for the construction of aesthetic value in contemporary Japanese literature? Ultimately, how do editors participate in the making of the contemporary world of Japanese literature through their collaboration with writers?

About the speaker:

Beata M. Kowalczyk is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Sociology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland, and an associated researcher at the Institutions et Dynamiques Historiques de l’Économie et de la Société (Paris 1 Panthéone Sorbonne). She has conducted multi-sited fieldwork with Japanese musicians in Warsaw, Paris, and Tokyo, much of which was based at Warsaw University, the Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and the University of Tokyo. Her research has focused on Japanese society and culture, precariousness, and racial and gender-related inequalities in the creative and classical music industries, transnationalism, and postcolonialism. She is the author of Transnational Musicians. Precariousness, Ethnicity and Gender in the Creative Industry (Routledge 2021). She is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, working on a sociological analysis of inspiration and creativity in contemporary Japanese literature.

About the series:

The Sociology Speaker Series presents the latest research by academic staff members and distinguished guests from across the United Kingdom and beyond. We normally meet on Wednesdays during the semester. Registration is free and open to all University of Edinburgh students and staff. Organised by Dr Lisa McCormick (lisa.mccormick@ed.ac.uk).