Transcending Borders : Selected papers in East Asian studies

Abstract

These days, it seems that many people are concerned with borders, confines, and walls more than ever. We chose “transcending borders” as the theme and title of the volume, hinting at the concept of bridging boundaries, in any possible context and domain, metaphorical or concrete. By proposing this theme, we want to reflect on the opportunities that are to be gained through the overcoming of borders, on what can be accomplished by calling into question old norms, on the implementations of less familiar norms, and on the renegotiation of individual limits and horizons. This collection gathers seven articles on the theme of borders: the first four articles deal with Chinese presence in Italy today; the three articles in the field of Japanese Studies elaborate on the concept of borders in literary terms.