The aim of the Sonic Japan Research Association (SJRA) is to bring together researchers interested in contemporary and historical understandings of sound in Japanese culture and society. Over recent years, ethnographic accounts of music and sound cultures across Japan have been joined by historical, philological, and social scientific research on sound. As the number and range of studies of sound on and in Japan have increased, the opportunities for cooperation in research and pedagogy are becoming increasingly apparent.
The association will provide a platform for meeting, exchanging ideas, sharing information, and networking for scholars researching and teaching sound across the arts and humanities, as well as the social and cognitive sciences. As the boundaries between musicology and sound studies are beginning to blur, the connective potential for research on sound within and across all these fields is becoming increasingly evident. Nevertheless, it remains difficult for scholars to reach beyond disciplinary and national academic boundaries to connect with those working on similar issues or topics. Researchers working on sound in Japan can all too often be restricted to the membership of associations within their own fields or disciplines and unaware of work taking place within different academic frameworks.
The SJRA, then, seeks to create a shared space through which scholars can connect and collaborate through regular conferences, workshops, joint research projects, and publications. Through these activities, the association will help members to build partnerships, share their work and experience to create lasting networks that strengthen the possibilities for sonic research on Japan.