Seminar:
Where There Are Asians, There Are Rice Cookers: How 'National' Went Global via Hong Kong

Dr. Yoshiko Nakano

Date: 27 January 2010 (Wednesday)
Time: 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Venue: Convocation Room, Main Building

In her talk, Dr. Nakano considers the process by which the National rice cooker was first localized and then globalized, moving away from Japan-centric perspectives on how "Made in Japan" products made it big in the global marketplace, instead choosing to emphasize the collaborative approach adopted by one Japanese manufacturing giant and a Hong Kong entrepreneur. She also highlights the role Hong Kong, as a free port, played in the rice cooker's globalization and describes how the city facilitated the transnational flow of Japanese appliances to Southeast Asia, China, and North America.

Yoshiko Nakano is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Japanese Studies at the University of Hong Kong where she teaches intercultural communication and media. She is the author of the recently published monograph, "Where There Are Asians, There Are Rice Cookers: How 'National' Went Global via Hong Kong" (HKU Press 2009; http://www.hkupress.org).

All are welcome. No registration is required.