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2012年4月 月次レポート（マヤ・ヴォドピヴェッツ オランダ）
Report on the first month of my research study at Leiden Institute of Asian Studies (LIAS), Leiden University, April 2012
Maja Vodopivec
Upon my arrival there were many formal things I had to do (such as orientating my self in the new space, looking for apartment, doing registration process and medical check and request for residential permit - which is a long and pretty complicated process), but after the first week I was already regularly coming to the University. I immediately met some professors from LIAS and thanks to their kindness I started attending their seminars for undergraduate students. The seminars I attended were from Prof. Lindsey Black: Critical Approaches in International Theory and IPE (International Political Economy) of China. The other seminar I attended was the one on Material Culture of Japan held by Prof. Kasia Cwiertka, head of the Department of Japanese Studies. I also met my formal advisor, Prof. Chris Goto-Jones who is, unfortunately, very busy with newly-founded Honors College of Leiden University in Hague.
Both seminars I attended (for about a month, since the exam season in Leiden University started already) were useful for my research. As first, I wanted to feel the atmosphere at the Japanese Studies Department in Leiden since I, myself, wish to become a professor of Japanese Studies in the near future in my own country. I was pleased with the level of classes and students. As second, since I spent a lot of time in Japanese university, and Japanese universities are more oriented towards the empirical (unlike European who are more theoretical), I wanted to attend some classes with strong theoretical basis. Prof. Lindsey Black's classes were absolutely fascinating in that sense, and I think that they gave me a useful stimulation what and how to "brush up" in my own dissertation. It is very important to me how to situate Kato's thought in today's postmodern/postcolonial discourse, and I think that time spent at those classes was very meaningful. Also, I have an access to excellent online library - many new (and expensive) books are available in digital form.
By the head of department I was invited to a party of Japanese studies and there I met almost all other professors from who I got some useful information, including invitation to the meeting of Dutch Association of Japanese Studies that will be held in mid-June and devoted to the oldest professor at the department and great authority on the intellectual history, Dr. Boot.
I also met some Ph.D students, Japanese and International, and I was invited to the "Siebold-kai", a monthly gathering of Japanese students and researchers in Netherlands (mostly Leiden). I already attended one meeting, met around 30 people and listened to presentation of a student from Osaka University. I will probably present there as well in near future.
As for my writing, I wrote preface (that I did not have originally in my dissertation) and currently am rewriting my introduction.
Also, I am re-reading "Honyaku-no-shisou" by Kato and Maruyama, and trying to think more on translation problem.