dchand

Blog by dchand

The Imaginary "Lottery" of Research Funding in Japan

By dchand

The Japanese economic “bubble” is usually thought to have come to an end in 1991, and by some metrics, Japan is no longer the “rich” country it long claimed to be (as Japanese people often lament). Yet in some respects, there is still an awful lot of wealth on display, and this includes funding for ...
02.03.25 01:31 AM - Comment(s)

Writing about the Fast and Furious in Japan, in Japan

By dchand

I made a remarkable discovery this past week. An article I'd written on the Fast and Furious film franchise, and its engagements with Japan, recently published in one of my department's own journals, had been downloaded over 4,000 times. Here's a link to the article.


It's an intriguing developme...

21.05.23 05:35 AM - Comment(s)

Two Ukraine stories that have shaped my life

By dchand

The news at the moment is dominated by Russia's war in Ukraine. It's heartbreaking. I've never been to (or even particularly near) Ukraine, but I've had a special feeling for the country all my adult life. This is because of two powerful fictions. My high school library, which I have extremely fond ...

08.03.22 09:08 AM - Comment(s)

The fascination of early careers -- and mozzarella

By dchand

Looking back on my interests since undergraduate days (if not earlier), one thing which has always fascinated me is the beginnings of an artistic career. When a young writer starts to write, or a young composer starts to compose, or a young painter starts to paint, then a fascinating link tends to b...

08.03.22 08:35 AM - Comment(s)

The Journal of Popular Music Studies and Publishing Red Flags

By dchand

A couple of people have written to ask about the Journal of Popular Music Studies case mentioned in my last blog: how could anyone possibly know if a "third party referee" report was in fact written by a journal editor? The simple answer, I’m afraid, is that you couldn’t. All you can do is...

02.08.21 01:21 AM - Comment(s)