Lafcadio Hearn at 120: Strange Tales, Folklore, and Cultural Resonances
Commemorating the 120th Anniversary of His Death

Speaker: François LACHAUD (EFEO)

Tuesay, January 14th, 18:00 (JST)

Lafcadio Hearn (1854–1904) was a remarkable figure who introduced
Japanese culture to the West during the Meiji era. Beginning his
literary journey with explorations of voodoo traditions in New Orleans
and the Caribbean, he later turned his attention to Japan, where he
translated and retold ghost stories, folktales, legends, and proverbs,
bringing these traditions to the Anglophone world. Despite his
significant contributions, his work has often been dismissed,
particularly in English-speaking academic circles, for its perceived
fascination with the strange and the exotic, and critiqued as a product
of "Orientalism."
After a year of commemorations marking the 120th
anniversary of his death, and before a national broadcast reflecting on
his life and work, this lecture offers a timely reexamination of Hearn’s
writings. It highlights their role in preserving and sharing Japanese
folklore and supernatural tales, while also connecting them to the
modern concept of folk horror, a genre that delves into the darker
aspects of rural beliefs and traditions.
This lecture celebrates
Hearn’s enduring legacy, showcasing his ability to bridge diverse
cultural worlds and reminding us of the profound impact his storytelling
continues to have on our understanding of culture, history, and the
supernatural.

Francois Lachaud is a professor of Japanese
studies at the École française d’Extrême-Orient. His research focuses on
the religious and cultural history of early modern Japan. He is the
coediter of Mastering Languages, Taming the World: The Production and
Circulation of European Dictionaries and Lexicons of Asian Languages
(16th–19th Centuries) (EFEO, 2023).


This hybrid lecture will be held on site and via Zoom.
Registration required in advance from https://forms.gle/XkJwfEDsXfzM4oxb6

Zoom Meeting  ID: 876 3634 0538

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87636340538

Venue: EFEO Kyoto, 29 Kitashirakawa Betto-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8276
You can find the place on Google Maps with the words 'EFEO Kyoto'.

Language: English


École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO)
Italian School of East Asian Studies (ISEAS)
Co-hosted by Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University

 kyoto lectures