History of Manga Art in Japan | Continental Catch Lecture Series

The Department of International Studies, Political Science and History organised a guest lecture on 27th July on the topic of History of Manga Art in Japan as part of the Continental Catch Lecture series.

The guest speaker of the day was Dr. Ronald Stewart, an Australian professor working in the Department of Sociology, Daito Bunka University, Japan. He is also a well-known historian and a critical analyst of Manga Art and has published various books and news columns on manga art in noted publications. He is also the founding member of the Comic Studies Society (CSS) and is a long-term member of the Japan Society for Studies in Cartoons and Comics.

He was connected to the audience via videoconferencing through Cisco Webex. He spoke to the audience about the history and evolution of Manga art in Japan. He started with basic information on Manga, followed by an introduction to Tezuka Osamu, who is considered the 'Father of Manga'. He classified Manga History into three phases- ancient history, Pre-World War 2, and Post-WW2 comics.

Starting from newspaper cut-outs to comic books to series, Manga has also travelled a lot in history. Manga Art was successful in depicting the evolving Japanese society, socio-economic and political changes as well as various events. As time passed, Manga became popular among kids, teens, and adults. Boys and girls had separate manga editions called Shounen and Shoujo, which catered to their own tastes and interests. Similarly, children and adults also had separate areas of interest and hence different publications. The speaker also covered various publishers and the frequency of the comics.

The speaker concluded the session by throwing some light on the recent developments and how Manga's popularity has spread worldwide. He emphasised the fall of demand for physical comic books and the rise of digital publications, with the changing digital technology also present in Manga Art as well.

The floor was then open to questions. Dr Madhumati Deshpande, the department coordinator, asked about Political content in Manga, for which the speaker mentioned the self-censorship present in Japanese society and various organisations. Mangas usually do not cover any controversial or political content. Even if it happens, the supporters of that particular political figure tend to create chaos and threaten to boycott or sue the comic.

The lecture ended with a vote of thanks delivered by Dr Vagishwari S P from the Department, expressing gratitude for elaborating on the topic and enlightening the audience with the knowledge of Manga art and its popularity across the world.