The interest in Gramsci among Japanese scholars and students of political science, sociology, economics, philosophy and cultural studies is quite extensive. Evidence of this can be found in the existing edition of John Cammett's Bibliografia Gramsciana--and it will be even more evident in the second (and much amplified) edition which is currently in the final stages of preparation and should appear within the next year. In addition to numerous publications, the Japanese contributions to Gramscian studies and to the analysis and application of Gramsci's ideas to current concerns include the work of the Kyoto Gramsci Society (KGS). The KGS has been organizing seminars regularly for five years, thanks to the organizational initiative of Professor Hiroshi Matsuda and the members of the society. The KGS has its office in the Faculty of Social Sciences of Ristsumeikan University, and its membership includes professors, researchers, and graduate students from various disciplines and different universities. Recently the KGS published an information bulletin which lists the numerous seminars that it organized over the past five years. The topics addressed in the seminars are indicative of the wide-ranging interests of the KGS members and of the diversity of approaches they bring to bear on their study, analysis, and application of Gramsci's thought.
The 1st seminar: 21-22 April 1989
Part I: Masumi Takeuchi (Ass. Prof. of St. Andrews Univ.)
"Investigation and discussion of Reading A. Gramsci"
Part II: Kiyotaka Katano (Ass. Prof. of Osaka Economics and Law Univ.)
"About the controversy of Post-Marxism"
Part III: Tomihisa Suzuki (Ass. Prof. of St. Andrews Univ.)
"Modern problematics and Gramsci"
The 2nd seminar: 15-16 July 1989
Part I: Shigeru Okamura (Ass. Prof. of Shizuoka Eiwa College)
Sciji Kobayashi (Lecturer of Osaka Foreign Language Univ.)
Yasuji Ishikura (Ass. Prof. of Hiroshima Univ.)
"Book review: Gramsci in Modern History"
(Gramsci in Modern History: Eisuke Takemura, Aoki, Tokyo, 1989) [END PAGE 22]
Part II: Takeshi Shinoda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Analysis of Modern Capitalism and Regulation Theory"
The 3rd seminar: 2-3 December 1989
Part I: Hiroshi Matsuda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Gramsci and Fascism"
Part II: Yasuji Ishikura (Ass. Prof. of Hiroshima Univ.)
"Gramsci and Croce"
The 4th seminar: 23-24 March 1990
Part I: Kiyotaka Katano (Ass. Prof. of Osaka Economics and Law Univ.)
"About the New Programme of the SPD"
Part II: Hiroshi Matsuda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Problems and Perspectives of Italian Socialism (1)" The 5th seminar: 6 May 1990
Part I: Hiroshi Matsuda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Book Review: Eastern European Revolution and Socialism"
(Eastern European Revolution and Socialism: Testuro Kato)
Part II: Tomihisa Suzuki (Ass. Prof. of St. Andrews Univ.)
"Gramsci: 'Revolution against Capital'"
The 6th seminar: 22 July 1990
Part I: Seiji Kobayashi (Lecturer of Osaka Foreign Language Univ.)
"Technicization and Rationalization of life-world"
Part II: Kiyotaka Katano (Ass. Prof. of Osaka Economics and Law Univ.)
"Gramsci: Concept of Hegemony"
The 7th seminar: 8-9 September 1990
Part I: Yasuji Ishikura (Ass. Prof. of Hiroshima Univ.)
"Personality and Work-Society-State"
Part II: Seiji Kobayashi (Lecturer of Osaka Foreign Language Univ.)
"Cultural reproduction of Society"
Part III: Masaharu Hori (Ass. Prof. of Shimane Univ.)
"Norberto Bobbio and Gramsci"
Part IV: Kiyotaka Katano (Ass. Prof. of Osaka Economics and Law Univ.)
"International Debate about Base-Superstructure and a viewpoint of Gramsci"
Part V: Tomihisa Suzuki (Ass. Prof. of St. Andrews Univ.)
"Bases of Gramsci's social theory: Logic and Perspective" [END PAGE 23]
The 8th seminar: 24 November 1990
Part I: Kazuhiro Kubo (Lecturer of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"State and local autonomy"
Part II: Tadashi Nakamura (Ass. Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Gramsci and Culture" Part III: Hiroshi Matsuda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Hegemony and Passive Revolution, (Part 1)"
Part IV: Hiroshi Matsuda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Book review: Gramsci and Japanese modern politics, F. Usiro"
Part V: Tomihisa Suzuki (Ass. Prof. of St. Andrews Univ.)
"Action Theory of Webererian Sociology and Gramsci"
The 9th seminar: 27 January 1991
Part I: Seiji Kobayashi (Lecturer of Osaka Foreign Language Univ.)
"Change of life style and Hegemony"
Part II: Tomihisa Suzuki (Ass. Prof. of St. Andrews Univ.)
"Socio-philosophical bases of Hegemony Theory"
Part III: Hiroshi Matsuda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Hegemony and Passive Revolution, (Part 2)"
The 10th seminar: 30-31 March 1991
Part I: Tomihisa Suzuki (Ass. Prof. of St. Andrews Univ.)
"Basic concepts of Gramsci's Sociology"
Part II: Tadashi Nakamura (Ass. Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Culture and Hegemony"
The 11th seminar: 22 August 1991
Part I: Tomihisa Suzuki (Ass. Prof. of St. Andrews Univ.)
"Book review: Gramsci and Modern Japanese Education, Nobuaki Kurosawa"
Part II: Hiroshi Matsuda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Trends of Gramsci studies in Italy"
The 12th seminar: 8 December 1991
Part I: Hiroshi Matsuda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Report: Gramsci symposium 1991"
The 13th seminar: 5 April 1992 Part I: Tomihisa Suzuki (Ass. Prof. of St. Andrews Univ.)
"Gramsci and contemporary thought" [END PAGE 24]
Part II: Hiroshi Matsuda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Report: Gramsci studies in Italy"
The 14th seminar: 17 May 1992
Part I: Tomihisa Suzuki (Ass. Prof. of St. Andrews Univ.)
"Marxist philosophy of Gramsci"
The 15th seminar: 28-29 July 1992
Part I: Kazuhiro Kubo (Lecturer of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Neo Gramscian Theory and democracy: Centering around of Hegemony and Socialist Strategy"
(Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Moffe, Verso, 1985)
Part II: Hiroshi Matsuda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Machiavelli and the science of politics (1): Centering around Q13"
Part III: Tadashi Nakamura (Ass. Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Possibility of Gramsci's Cultural Theory"
Part IV: Yasuji Ishikura (Ass. Prof. of Hiroshima Univ.)
"Social welfare and Gramsci: Production and Reproduction of Man"
Part V: Tomihisa Suzuki (Ass. Prof. of St. Andrews Univ.)
"Philosophy of praxis and empirical knowledge, social science"
The 16th seminar: 14 September 1992
Part I: Tadashi Nakamura (Ass. Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Cultural theory of Gramsci and its possibility"
Part II: Kiyotaka Katano (Ass. Prof. of Osaka Economics and Law Univ.)
"Book review: Gramsci's Concept of Democracy, Golding"
The 17th seminar: 28 November 1992
Part I: Kazuhiro Kubo (Lecturer of Ritsumeikan Univ.) "Book review: Idea of Gramsci, Kiminori Andou et al. eds. Syakai Hyoron, Tokyo, 1992"
Part II: Hiroshi Matsuda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Comment: Culture and Politics of A. Gramsci, Satoc Kawakami"
The 18th seminar: 27 December 1992
Part I: Tomihisa Suzuki (Ass. Prof. of St. Andrews Univ.)
"Philosophy of praxis and Social Science of Gramsci"
The 19th seminar: 24 February 1993
Part I: Yasuji Ishikura (Ass. Prof. of Hiroshima Univ.)
"Gramsci's suggestion towards social service as Meta-theory" [END PAGE 25]
Part II: Satoc Kawakami (Researcher of Cyuo Univ.)
"Utopia and science on Gramsci's thoughts"
The 20th seminar: 17 March 1993
Part I: Hiroshi Matsuda (Prof. of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"F. Sunguineti: Gramsci e Machiavelli/Machiavelli and science of politics (2): Centering around Q13"
The 21st seminar: 8 May 1993
Part I: Kyoichi Sameshima (Graduate Student of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Book review: British Cultural Studies, Gramc Turner, Unwin Hyman, 1990, London"
The 22nd seminar: 26 June 1993
Lecture: Eisuke Takemura (Prof. of Japan Welfair Univ.)
"Modernity and Classicality of the Thought of Gramsci"
The 23rd seminar: 11 September 1993
Part I: Seiji Kobayashi (Lecturer of Osaka Foreign Language Univ.)
"Book review: Kritik der Macht, Axcel Honneth, 1985"
The 24th seminar: 13 November 1993
Part I: Kyoichi Sameshima (Graduate Student of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Raymond Williams and British Cultural Studies" The 25th seminar: 18 December 1993
Part I: Takafumi Sasada (Graduate Student of Ritsumeikan Univ.)
"Condillac and Ideology"
Part II: Atsushi Fukasawa (Lecturer of Kyoto District Univ.)
"Regulation and Gramsci"
The 26th seminar: 26 February 1994
Lecture: Kaoru Katagiri (Lecturer of Cyuo Univ.)
"Marxism in Gramsci"
For further information about the Kyoto Gramsci Society and its activities, contact: Professor Hiroshi Matsuda; Faculty of Social Sciences; Ritsumeikan University; Toji-in Kita-ku; Kyoto 603-77; Japan. Tel.: 075-465-8164 (Internal 3311); Fax: 075-465-8249.