Special Issue title: Representing Animals in Asian Screen Media

Journal: Society & Animals (SCI & SSCI indexed)

Edited by: Dr. Zhaoyu Zhu (First Author); Dr. Thomas William Whyke (Corresponding Author)

University of Nottingham Ningbo China
 
Background and scope

In Asia, animals create a key narrative intermediary for thinking about the relationship between humans and nature. However, this narrative is closely intertwined with religious thoughts such as Buddhism or Japanese Shintoism, which focus on the cyclical regeneration of the natural environment (McDermott, 1989; Finnigan, 2017; Pan, 2020). In recent years, Asian scholars have begun to explore how the disappearance and appearance of animals in screen media reflect the increasingly intense contradictions between human modernisation and natural conservation. Yan Du (2016) discusses the disappearance of animal characters in animation during the Cultural Revolution, manifesting the Maoism's ideological confrontation against nature. Yau (2015) employs close readings of healing narratives from three films, Quill (dir. Yochi Sai, Japan, 2004), Gu Gu The Cat (dir. Isshin Inudo, Japan, 2008), and This Darling Life (dir. Angie Chen, Hong Kong, 2008), to investigate the dynamics of vulnerability and power exchange between non-human animals and their human counterparts in East Asia.

However, when considering the role of animals as companions or production assets in human world, in Asian popular culture, the distinctions between humans and animals are not rigidly defined; as evidenced in the renowned Chinese classic Journey to the West (Yu, 2012), a monkey emerges as a pivotal hero who alleviates human suffering. Contemporary adaptations in film and animations of famous Chinese novels are emerging alongside new film narratives, like the Korean blockbuster Okja (2017), that the representation of animals transcends the human-centric perspectives, reflecting a cross-species empathy rooted in Asian cultural heritage. Animals receive more diverse cultural interpretations in Asian screen media. These productions become popular worldwide and resonate with audiences around the globe. A notable example is the narrative of Hachi, a dog that famously waited at a train station for his master in an urban myth in Tokyo. This story presents a new perspective on how an Asian narrative produces transnational animal imaginaries through its multi-national adaptations in America and China, and becomes a universal symbol of loyalty (Skabelund 2017; Grillo 2024).
 
This special issue aims to investigate the portrayal of animals in Asian films and other screen media. The rich diversity and complexity of Asian cultures, coupled with the nuanced cultural exchanges that occur across national boundaries, lead to a multifaceted and polysemous representation of animals. This representation not only challenges but also enriches academic discourse on animal representation as viewed through a western lens. Additionally, the rise of new screen media platforms, such as TikTok, in contemporary society highlights the new modes of human-animal interactions, which in turn reflects the current debates faced by contemporary Asians in relation to the crises of the Anthropocene.
 
We invite scholars and practitioners to contribute original research, case studies, and critical analyses on topics including, but not limited to:
 
Animals in Asian narrative films and TV series
Wildlife documentaries in Asia
Animal characters in Asian animation, i.e. Japanese anime
The wildlife preservation in Asian films and documentaries
The cultural folklore on animals in Asian film and television adaptations
Animals and Eco-cinemas in Asia
Short videos on animals in Asia, i.e. pet videos.
Audience reception with animals in Asian film and television

Please send an abstract no more than 300 words with a short bio no more than 50 words to Zhaoyu Zhu <zhaoyu.zhu@nottingham.edu.cn> and Thomas William Whyke <Thomas-William.Whyke@nottingham.edu.cn>before 20 February 2025. The successful applicants will be notified by 28 February 2025. First drafts of papers expected to send directly to the editors of special issues by 1 August 2025. The editors will submit the full manuscript of special issues by 31 August 2025.

For more inquiries, please send to Zhaoyu Zhu <zhaoyu.zhu@nottingham.edu.cn> and Thomas William Whyke <Thomas-William.Whyke@nottingham.edu.cn>.

For citation styles and writing tips, please use the journal’s Instructions for Authors and submission portal:https://brill.com/view/journals/soan/soan-overview.xml?language=en&conte...

The projected publication date is March 2026 (34.2)

References:

Du, D. Y. (2016). The dis/appearance of animals in animated film during the Chinese cultural revolution, 1966–76. positions: east asia cultures critique, 24(2), 435-479.

Finnigan, B. (2017). Buddhism and animal ethics. Philosophy Compass, 12(7), e12424.

Grillo, T. (2024). Fuzzy Traumas: Animals and Errors in Contemporary Japanese Literature. Cornell University Press.

Law, F. Y. (2015). Vulnerability in the City: Reading Healing Narratives in East Asian Animal Films. Animal Studies Journal 4(1), 58-76.

McDermott, J. P. (1989). Animals and humans in early Buddhism. Indo-Iranian Journal, 32(4), 269-280.

Pan, Y. (2020). Human–nature relationships in East Asian animated films. Societies, 10(2), 35.

Skabelund, A. H. (2017). Empire of dogs: canines, Japan, and the making of the modern imperial world. Cornell University Press.

Yu, A. C. (ed) (2012). The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 1 (Volume 1). University of Chicago Press.