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The Everyday Aesthetics of American Cute and Japanese Kawaii: Historical Development and Contemporary Expressions

Research Project

Project/Area Number 20K00145
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Review Section Basic Section 01050:Aesthetics and art studies-related
Research InstitutionChuo University (2022-2023)
Tokyo Gakugei University (2020-2021)

Principal Investigator

Dale Joshua  中央大学, 文学部, 教授 (20817473)

Project Period (FY) 2020-04-01 – 2025-03-31
Project Status Granted (Fiscal Year 2023)
Budget Amount *help
¥3,770,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥870,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥520,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥120,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Keywordskawaii / cute / gender / aesthetics / art history / culture / aeshetics / Aesthetics / Cuteness / Cute / Kawaii / Gender
Outline of Research at the Start

Cute and kawaii are dominant aesthetics in globalized consumer society. This project examines the emergence, development and interrelationship of both the cute and kawaii aesthetics. It will access their impact on gendered identity, power, consumption and technology.

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

Published Book: Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired our Brains and Conquered the World. Profile Books 10/26/2023. Published Article: "The Irresistible Rise of Cuteness" Cute Cat-alogue, Somerset House 1/24/2024. Invited Lectures (3): “Secrets of Kawaii Design,” CasaCon online event 12/17/2023; “The egg came first: Cuteness in cross-species bonding and domestication,” Aww-Struck and ASLE-UKI online event 11/7/2023. Published Educational Materials (2): “Why Cuteness Needs to be Studied (video)” 7/6/2023; “Why do you want to squeeze cute things? (TED-Ed video lesson)” 1/5/2023. Conference attended: Mechademia 10, Kyoto 5/27-29/2023

Current Status of Research Progress
Current Status of Research Progress

3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.

Reason

I have signed a contract to write a book chapter for The Handbook of Japanese Aesthetics (Japan Documents MHM), forthcoming in 2025. Because the book was delayed, I have extended the grant period.

I will use the remaining funds to buy books related to the research topic.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

I have applied for a collaborative research grant from the Daiwa Foundation and will apply for a collaborative research grant from the Japan Past and Present website project (sponsored by Waseda University and UCLA). I have applied for a writer’s residency fellowship at Gladstone’s Library in the UK and will apply for various other writer’s residency fellowships in the US.

Report

(4 results)
  • 2023 Research-status Report
  • 2022 Research-status Report
  • 2021 Research-status Report
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (17 results)

All 2024 2023 2022 2021 Other

All Journal Article (2 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 2 results,  Peer Reviewed: 1 results,  Open Access: 1 results) Presentation (10 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 7 results,  Invited: 6 results) Book (2 results) Remarks (3 results)

  • [Journal Article] The Irresistible Rise of Cuteness2024

    • Author(s)
      Joshua Dale
    • Journal Title

      Cute Cat-alogue, Somerset House

      Volume: 1 Pages: 9-19

    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Cross-Cultural Comparisons of the Cute and Related Concepts in Japan, the United States, and Israel2021

    • Author(s)
      Nittono Hiroshi、Lieber-Milo Shiri、Dale Joshua P.
    • Journal Title

      SAGE Open

      Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-16

    • DOI

      10.1177/2158244020988730

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Secrets of Kawaii Design2023

    • Author(s)
      Joshua Dale
    • Organizer
      Casa-Con
    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] The egg came first: Cuteness in cross-species bonding and domestication2023

    • Author(s)
      Joshua Dale
    • Organizer
      Aww-Struck and ASLE-UKI
    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Kawaii: Past, Present, and Future2022

    • Author(s)
      Dale, Joshua
    • Organizer
      Asian Studies Conference Japan
    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Kawaii: The Emergence and Evolution of Cuteness in Japanese Girls’ Culture2022

    • Author(s)
      Dale, Joshua
    • Organizer
      Japan Foundation New York
    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Cuteness: Revolutionary or Reactionary?2022

    • Author(s)
      Dale, Joshua
    • Organizer
      Cultural Typhoon Annual Conference 2022
    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Why Kawaii Conquered the World2021

    • Author(s)
      Dale, Joshua
    • Organizer
      CasaCon
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Cuteness and KawaII Reading Group2021

    • Author(s)
      Dale, Joshua
    • Organizer
      AWW-Struck: Creative and Critical Approaches to Cuteness
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Kawaii in Japan2021

    • Author(s)
      Dale, Joshua
    • Organizer
      CasaCon
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] The Poetics of Kawaii2021

    • Author(s)
      Dale, Joshua
    • Organizer
      AWW-Struck: Creative and Critical Approaches to Cuteness
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Kawaii culture and the exploration of alternative gendered identities2021

    • Author(s)
      Joshua Dale
    • Organizer
      East Asian Popular Culture Conference II
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Book] Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired our Brains and Conquered the World2024

    • Author(s)
      Joshua Dale
    • Total Pages
      278
    • Publisher
      Profile Books, London
    • ISBN
      1788162382
    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
  • [Book] The Obsessed: Otaku, Tribes, and Subcultures of Japan2022

    • Author(s)
      Wong, Irwin; Dale, Joshua
    • Publisher
      Die Gestalten Verlag
    • ISBN
      9783967040081
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Remarks]

    • URL

      https://www.cutestudies.org

    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
  • [Remarks] Cute Studies Portal

    • URL

      https://www.cutestudies.org

    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report 2020 Research-status Report
  • [Remarks]

    • URL

      https://www.cutestudies.org

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report

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Published: 2020-04-28   Modified: 2024-12-25  

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