Time, a seemingly universal dimension, reveals its diverse facets across societies, historical epochs, and cultural contexts. The research project TIMEJ at the University of Zurich presents a fresh perspective on time in Medieval Japan, a concept far from unified. From the timeless corridors of Zen monasteries to bustling markets and the refined courts, we'll unravel the diverse ways in which time was perceived, experienced, and negotiated.

Imagine a lovelorn young lady-in-waiting from medieval Japanese poetry, her nights sleepless, perceiving time as a monotonous rhythm. Can you relate with her? Time is not just a physical entity but goes beyond the mere ticking of clocks. It embodies a human experience, collectively shared yet profoundly personal.

Prof. Raji Steineck and Simone Müller in conversation with Martina Froehlich will take us on a journey back to Medieval Japan. Join us for this Talk at the Library, where we will step into a world where time bends, speeds, and stretches.

The event will be followed by a small standing lunch.

This event is for Asia Society Members only. If you are not yet a Member, you can conveniently become a Member by selecting "I am not yet a Member" during the registration process.

Attendance is free. In order to avoid no-shows for tickets at our office, a CHF 50 no-show fee will be charged if you do not cancel your registration until 24 hours before the event the latest.

Simone Müller is senior lecturer of Japanese studies at the University of Zurich. Currently she is Research Associate in the ERC Advanced Grant Project “Time in Medieval Japan” (TIMEJ, PI Prof. Raji C. Steineck) and PI of the SNSF Project “Time and Emotion in Medieval Japanese Literature”. 1992-1999 Studies of Japanology, Sinology and Philosophy at the University of Zurich, at Tōkyō University of Foreign Studies and and Dōshisha University (Kyōto). 2003 PhD and 2012 submission of second book (Habilitation) in Japanese Studies at the University of Zurich. Research stays at Sophia University (Tōkyō), at Kyōto University of Technology and at Cornell University. Research interests: Japanese literature and intellectual history. Her recent publications include The ‘Debate on the Literature of Action’ and Its Legacy: Ideological Struggles in 1930s Japan and the ‘Rebirth’ of the Intellectual (The Journal of Japanese Studies 2015), A Young Lady’s Longing for a Lost Past. A Chronotopic Analysis of the Medieval Memoir ‘Utatane’ (‘Fitful Slumbers’) (BmE 2020), and Zeit in der vormodernen japanischen Literatur / Time in Premodern Japanese Literature (de Gruyter 2021).