Archaeology & EAAF Co-Sponsored Lecture by Alice Y. Tseng

Prof. Alice Tseng (Chair, and Associate Professor of Japanese Art and Architecture, Department of History of Art and Architecture, Boston University), "Kyoto, A Modern Imperial City" Abstract: This talk explores the development of an imperial city without an emperor in residence. The story of Kyoto between 1868 and 1940 was not one of irreparable decline. The city thrived in a new way in support of the reigning imperial house, by mobilizing the existing wealth of historical and cultural sites as well as putting in place modern infrastructure and architecture. Visual representations of Kyoto during these decades reinforced the scenic features and cultural tropes of the former capital while also playing up the urban transformations. New media such as copperplate printing, photography, and lithography captured and circulated widely the dynamism of Kyoto spaces and events for an international audience. BU Center for the Study of Asia Director’s Lunch Series and East Asian Archaeology Forum event, supported by the BU Center for the Humanities.