Asian Studies Seminar Series: Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff In brief Date - 11 March 2026Venue - Project Room 1.06, 50 George SquareSpeaker - Dr Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff (University of Sheffield)Title - “Look at me!” – Yonezu Tomoko and the Politics of Intersectionality in Post-War Japan About the eventIn 1974, uman ribu activist Yonezu Tomoko sprayed red paint onto the glass protecting the Mona Lisa during its Tokyo exhibition, protesting the exclusion of disabled visitors. This lecture traces Yonezu's trajectory from the 1968 student movement through ribu's campaign against the revision of the Eugenic Protection Law, examining how her simultaneous experience of gender and disability oppression generated analytical insights that reshaped the movement's reproductive politics.Drawing on oral history interviews and archival materials, the lecture focuses on the confrontation between ribu and the disability group Aoi shiba no kai over the framing of abortion rights, and how Yonezu's intersectional positioning helped bridge these movements toward a structural critique of Japan's eugenic biopolitical order. The lecture contributes to discussions about cross-movement coalition building in post-war Japan and the value of biographical methods for understanding political consciousness.About the speakerDr Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff is a lecturer in East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield and received her PhD from the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh. As a social historian specialising in modern Japan, her work explores intersections between feminism, disability and reproductive justice.She is currently researching grassroots anti-eugenics activism in Japan from the 1970s to the present day.How to attendThis event is free to attend and open to all. No registration is required, simply turn up on the day.Are you interested in studying with us?We are the only university in Scotland to offer full undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in both Chinese and Japanese, as well as postgraduate programmes in Korean Studies and East Asian Studies. Find out more about Asian Studies at Edinburgh Tags Asian Studies Mar 11 2026 16.15 - 18.00 Asian Studies Seminar Series: Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff An in-person seminar by Dr Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff (University of Sheffield), titled '“Look at me!” – Yonezu Tomoko and the Politics of Intersectionality in Post-War Japan'. Project Room 1.06 50 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square
Asian Studies Seminar Series: Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff In brief Date - 11 March 2026Venue - Project Room 1.06, 50 George SquareSpeaker - Dr Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff (University of Sheffield)Title - “Look at me!” – Yonezu Tomoko and the Politics of Intersectionality in Post-War Japan About the eventIn 1974, uman ribu activist Yonezu Tomoko sprayed red paint onto the glass protecting the Mona Lisa during its Tokyo exhibition, protesting the exclusion of disabled visitors. This lecture traces Yonezu's trajectory from the 1968 student movement through ribu's campaign against the revision of the Eugenic Protection Law, examining how her simultaneous experience of gender and disability oppression generated analytical insights that reshaped the movement's reproductive politics.Drawing on oral history interviews and archival materials, the lecture focuses on the confrontation between ribu and the disability group Aoi shiba no kai over the framing of abortion rights, and how Yonezu's intersectional positioning helped bridge these movements toward a structural critique of Japan's eugenic biopolitical order. The lecture contributes to discussions about cross-movement coalition building in post-war Japan and the value of biographical methods for understanding political consciousness.About the speakerDr Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff is a lecturer in East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield and received her PhD from the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh. As a social historian specialising in modern Japan, her work explores intersections between feminism, disability and reproductive justice.She is currently researching grassroots anti-eugenics activism in Japan from the 1970s to the present day.How to attendThis event is free to attend and open to all. No registration is required, simply turn up on the day.Are you interested in studying with us?We are the only university in Scotland to offer full undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in both Chinese and Japanese, as well as postgraduate programmes in Korean Studies and East Asian Studies. Find out more about Asian Studies at Edinburgh Tags Asian Studies Mar 11 2026 16.15 - 18.00 Asian Studies Seminar Series: Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff An in-person seminar by Dr Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff (University of Sheffield), titled '“Look at me!” – Yonezu Tomoko and the Politics of Intersectionality in Post-War Japan'. Project Room 1.06 50 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square
Mar 11 2026 16.15 - 18.00 Asian Studies Seminar Series: Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff An in-person seminar by Dr Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff (University of Sheffield), titled '“Look at me!” – Yonezu Tomoko and the Politics of Intersectionality in Post-War Japan'.
