Emmanuel Lozerand (Inalco) gives a lecture on “Zen’s Smugglers: Towards a Connected Cultural History”, as part of the Kyoto Lectures, organised by the EFEO, ISEAS and the Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University.
This hybrid lecture will be held on site and via Zoom (meeting ID: 874 5209 3537).
Zen swept through Western culture in the 1950s and 1960s. How did this cultural transfer occur, and who were its key actors? Answering these questions requires reconstructing a largely overlooked history. This involves moving beyond national and disciplinary boundaries, considering the agency of both Japanese exporters and Western importers, and examining the historical contexts that turned individual encounters into a collective phenomenon.
Emmanuel Lozerand is Professor of Modern Japanese Literature at the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO, Paris, France). His research focuses on the language, literature, thought, and history of modern Japan, as well as on major authors such as Natsume Sōseki, Mori Ōgai, and Masaoka Shiki.
Monday July 13 2026
At 6pm (Japan) or 11 am (France)
EFEO Centre in Kyoto
Kitashirakawa bettō-chō 29, Sakyō-ku
606-8276 Kyōto Japon
〒606-8276 京都市左京区北白川別当町29