Submitted by: Zach Smith, zsmith@uca.edu on 10/14/2025
Re-Animating the Sacred Forests: Ecology and Nationalism in Miyazaki Hayao’s Filmography
With Dr. Tim Strikwerda (Asst. Professor of Japanese, UCA School of Language and Literature)
When: Monday, Oct 27 from 6 – 7pm
Where: Schichtl Hall Rm 115 (Agora)
Description:
Miyazaki Hayao, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, has received global praise for the ways his animated films depict Japanese nature and spirituality. Studio Ghibli films have been a major conduit for transmitting ideas about Shinto, Buddhism, and animism to audiences (and college students) around the world. This presentation explores the ecological and political ideas that influenced some of Miyazaki’s most famous films, including My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke. Using both media analysis and archival research, Professor Strikwerda will highlight how Miyazaki drew from postwar theories about Japanese agriculture and neo-nationalist ideas concerning Japanese prehistory to shape the diegeses of the aforementioned films.
