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4. Tatsuma Padoan

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Biography

Dr Tatsuma Padoan is currently Lecturer in East Asian Religions, in the Department of Study of Religions at the University College Cork, and a Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He is also 2nd/3rd year Coordinator for the BA programme in Religions and Global Diversity, Study of Religions Department Representative for the BA programme in Anthropology, and Coordinator of the core seminar on anthropological classics for the MA programme in Anthropology at UCC. Since November 2022 he has been co-founder and co-director, together with Prof Laura Rascaroli, of SENSA Lab (Laboratory of Semiotics, Ethnosemiotics, Nonfictional Studies and Audiovisuality) at UCC, a platform for research on semiotics with a strong focus on anthropology and media. In 2017-2018 and 2022-2023, he has been a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at Osaka University. Dr Padoan obtained his PhD in Religions and Anthropology of Japan (Languages, Cultures and Societies) in March 2011 from Ca' Foscari University of Venice. He has been research student in Cultural Anthropology at Tokyo’s Keio University, carrying out research activities on mountain asceticism and pilgrimage in Japan. While in Venice, he trained in semiotics under the guidance of semiotician Paolo Fabbri, then becoming a member of LISaV (International Semiotics Laboratory of Venice). After his PhD, he taught Japanese Religions at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and Cultural Anthropology at the Free University of Bolzano, where he conducted an ethnographic and semiotic study of learning processes in design. He has then been Newton Postdoctoral Fellow (British Academy) in the Department of Religions and Philosophies at SOAS, University of London, for two years in 2014 and 2015, and Lecturer in Japanese Religions in the same department in 2015-2016. In 2017-2018, he conducted further research on the relationship between learning, ritual and ethics, through 10 months of additional fieldwork among ascetics in Katsuragi, central Japan, thanks to a JSPS fellowship based at Osaka University, Anthropology Department. Over the years, Dr Padoan has been invited to give lectures and seminars at the University of Oxford, Manchester, Bologna, Turin, Osaka, Maynooth, SOAS in London, Ca’ Foscari and IUAV in Venice, IULM in Milan, and presented his work at workshops and conferences at the University of Cambridge, the Centre International de Sciences Sémiotiques “Umberto Eco” (CiSS) in Urbino, the Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme in Aix-en-Provence, the University of Siena, Sussex, Tartu, Florence, ISEAS in Kyoto, Sainsbury Institute in Norwich, Technische Universität in Berlin, and others. His research has been funded by the British Academy, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Canon Foundation, Toshiba International Foundation, UCC CACSSS, and many others. His current research project "Aesthetic Communication: The Role of Senses in Social Interaction, Across and Beyond the Human", is funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research (Gr. CONF-938), and the Future Humanities Institute at UCC. His research areas cover the study of ritual – including asceticism, ritual apprenticeship, pilgrimage, religious materiality and spirit possession – as well as the study of design practices and the politics of urban space. In terms of methodology, he is particularly interested in the relationship between Paris School semiotics, linguistic anthropology and actor-network-theory, as a set of models for the practical analysis of local discourses in religion, material culture, and science and technology studies.‍

Research Interests

• Anthropology of Buddhism
• Paris School Semiotics
• Actor-Network-Theory
• Anthropology of Pilgrimage
• Japanese Religions
• Japanese Mountain Asceticism, Katsuragi Shugen
• Urban Pilgrimage and Tourism in Tokyo, Shichifukujin no meguri
• Semiotics of Space and Aesthetic Communication
• Spirit Possession, Subjectivity and Somatic Efficacy
• Memory, Ritual Enunciation and Religious Materiality
• Religious Syncretism and Combinatory Practices
• Science and Technology Studies
• Anthropology of Design and Material Culture

Research Grants

	Project	Funding Body	Start Date	End Date	Award
	Aesthetic communication: the role of senses in social interaction, across and beyond the human	Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research	11-JUN-24	14-JUN-24	€18,500.00
	Aesthetic communication: the role of senses in social interaction, across and beyond the human	College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences	06-FEB-24	31-AUG-24	€2,997.00
	A semiotics of sacred geography: understanding pilgrimage and holy sites in a comparative perspective	British Academy	30-SEP-21	30-MAR-23	€7,000.00
	A semiotics of sacred geography: understanding pilgrimage and holy sites in a comparative perspective	British Academy	01-JUL-17	30-JUN-21	€28,000.00

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Publications

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Books

	Year	Publication
	(2025)	Towards a Semiotics of Pilgrimage: Ritual Space, Memory and Narration in Japan and Elsewhere. Padoan, Tatsuma (2025) Towards a Semiotics of Pilgrimage: Ritual Space, Memory and Narration in Japan and Elsewhere. Berlin and Boston: DeGruyter. [Details]

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Book Chapters

	Year	Publication
	(2024)	'Walking the Sutra: A Semiotic Theory of Pilgrimage' Padoan, Tatsuma (2024) 'Walking the Sutra: A Semiotic Theory of Pilgrimage' In: Katić, Mario and Eade, John (eds). Approaching Pilgrimage: Methodological Issues Involved in Researching Routes, Sites, and Practices. London: Routledge.   [DOI] [Details]
	(2023)	'La conchiglia di San Giacomo' Padoan, Tatsuma (2023) 'La conchiglia di San Giacomo' In: Mangano, Dario and Sedda, Franciscu (eds). Simboli d’oggi. Critica dell'inflazione semiotica. Milan: Meltemi.   [Details]
	(2021)	'On the Semiotics of Space in the Study of Religions: Theoretical Perspectives and Methodological Challenges' Padoan, Tatsuma (2021) 'On the Semiotics of Space in the Study of Religions: Theoretical Perspectives and Methodological Challenges' In: Van Boom, Jason Cronbach and Põder, Thomas-Andreas (eds). Sign, Method, and the Sacred: New Directions in Semiotic Methodologies for the Study of Religion. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter.   [Full Text] [Details]
	(2021)	'Dal simbolo al rito (passando per il tartan)' Padoan, Tatsuma (2021) 'Dal simbolo al rito (passando per il tartan)' In: Marrone, Gianfranco (eds). Contaminazioni simboliche. “Annali del Centro Internazionale di Scienze Semiotiche di Urbino ‘Umberto Eco’”, vol. 1. Milan: Meltemi.   [Full Text] [Details]
	(2021)	'Space' Padoan, Tatsuma (2021) 'Space' In: Baffelli, Erica, Castiglioni, Andrea, and Rambelli, Fabio (eds). The Bloomsbury Handbook of Japanese Religions. London: Bloomsbury Academic.   [Details]
	(2018)	'Etnografia e semiotica: su divinità, asceti, pietre, e altri soggetti recalcitranti' Padoan, Tatsuma (2018) 'Etnografia e semiotica: su divinità, asceti, pietre, e altri soggetti recalcitranti' In: Ferraro, Guido, Finocchi, Riccardo, and Lorusso, Anna Maria (eds). Il metodo semiotico. Rome: Edizioni Nuova Cultura.   [Full Text] [Details]
	(2018)	'Sémiotique et anthropologie' Padoan, Tatsuma, and Sedda, Franciscu (2018) 'Sémiotique et anthropologie' In: Biglari, Amir and Roelens, Nathalie (eds). Sémiotique en interface. Paris: Kimé.   [Full Text] [Details]
	(2017)	'Per una semiotica della possessione oracolare: sensi e discorso sul monte Kiso Ontake' Padoan, Tatsuma (2017) 'Per una semiotica della possessione oracolare: sensi e discorso sul monte Kiso Ontake' In: Tarca, Luigi V., and Raveri, Massimo (eds). I linguaggi dell’assoluto. Milan: Mimesis. [Full Text] [Details]
	(2015)	'Buddhism' Padoan, Tatsuma (2015) 'Buddhism' In: Laycock, Joseph (eds). Spirit Possession around the World: Possession, Communion, and Demon Expulsion Across Cultures. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. [Full Text] [Details]
	(2014)	'Hinter den Zeichen. Über Strategien der Verordnung und Verhandlung von Verhaltensregeln in der Tokioter U-Bahn' Padoan, Tatsuma (2014) 'Hinter den Zeichen. Über Strategien der Verordnung und Verhandlung von Verhaltensregeln in der Tokioter U-Bahn' In: Gleiter, Jörg H (eds). Symptom Design: Vom Zeigen und Sich-Zeigen der Dinge. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag. [Details]
	(2012)	'Dei treni e dei riti. Politiche ferroviarie e memoria estetico-rituale nella Tokyo contemporanea' Padoan, Tatsuma (2012) 'Dei treni e dei riti. Politiche ferroviarie e memoria estetico-rituale nella Tokyo contemporanea' In: Mangano, Dario, and Mattozzi, Alvise (eds). La ricerca semiotica. Rome: Aracne. [Full Text] [Details]
	(2007)	'The Hybrid Power of the kami mandara. Polythetic Classifications and Anthropological Perspectives on the Combinatory Religion of Medieval Japan' Padoan, Tatsuma (2007) 'The Hybrid Power of the kami mandara. Polythetic Classifications and Anthropological Perspectives on the Combinatory Religion of Medieval Japan' In: International Shinto Foundation (eds). Shinto – In Search of Sincerity (Essays on Shinto, vol. 4). Tokyo: International Cultural Workshop. [Details]
	(2007)	'Sacred Economy and Transactional Religion: Dynamics of Power, Economics and Religion from Pre-modern to Contemporary Japanese Society' Padoan, Tatsuma (2007) 'Sacred Economy and Transactional Religion: Dynamics of Power, Economics and Religion from Pre-modern to Contemporary Japanese Society' In: International Shinto Foundation (eds). Shinto – In Search of Sincerity (Essays on Shinto, vol. 4). Tokyo: International Cultural Workshop. [Details]

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Peer Reviewed Journals

	Year	Publication
	(2023)	'Percezioni ibride. Ripensare fenomenologia e semiotica attraverso la Actor-Network-Theory' Padoan, Tatsuma (2023) 'Percezioni ibride. Ripensare fenomenologia e semiotica attraverso la Actor-Network-Theory'. Rivista dell’Associazione Italiana di Studi Semiotici, 17 (37):94-116   [Details]
	(2021)	'Recalcitrant Interactions: Semiotic Reflections on Fieldwork among Mountain Ascetics' Padoan, Tatsuma (2021) 'Recalcitrant Interactions: Semiotic Reflections on Fieldwork among Mountain Ascetics'. Acta Semiotica, 1 (2):84-119   [Full Text] [Details]
	(2021)	'Pilgrimage and Spirit Possession: Reconnecting Senses, Discourse and Subjectivity on Mt Kiso Ontake' Padoan, Tatsuma (2021) 'Pilgrimage and Spirit Possession: Reconnecting Senses, Discourse and Subjectivity on Mt Kiso Ontake'. Irish Journal of Asian Studies, 7 :39-57   [Full Text] [Details]
	(2020)	'Glossolalie visive: la fotografia spiritica tra scienza e religione' Padoan, Tatsuma (2020) 'Glossolalie visive: la fotografia spiritica tra scienza e religione'. Rivista dell’Associazione Italiana di Studi Semiotici, XIV (30):329-344   [Full Text] [Details]
	(2019)	'Reassembling the Lucky Gods: Pilgrim Economies, Tourists, and Local Communities in Global Tokyo' Padoan, Tatsuma (2019) 'Reassembling the Lucky Gods: Pilgrim Economies, Tourists, and Local Communities in Global Tokyo'. Journeys (Berghahn Journals, 20 (1):75-97 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details]
	(2014)	'Drawn by Images: Control, Subversion and Contamination in the Visual Discourse of Tokyo Metro' Padoan, Tatsuma (2014) 'Drawn by Images: Control, Subversion and Contamination in the Visual Discourse of Tokyo Metro'. Lexia: Journals of Semiotics, 17-18 ('Effective images'):554-574 [Full Text] [Details]

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Other Journals

	Year	Publication
	(2014)	'The Lucky Gods of Tokyo' Padoan, Tatsuma (2014) 'The Lucky Gods of Tokyo' SOAS Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions Newsletter, 26-27 :8-9. [Details]
	(2008)	'Kami in Fabula: A Tentative Analysis of a Mediaeval Mythological Text' Padoan, Tatsuma (2008) 'Kami in Fabula: A Tentative Analysis of a Mediaeval Mythological Text' SOAS Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions Newsletter, 16-17 :24-27. [Details]
	(2008)	'Ryōbu Shintō and Shugendō in Medieval Japan' Padoan, Tatsuma (2008) 'Ryōbu Shintō and Shugendō in Medieval Japan' Bulletin of the European Association for Japanese Studies, 78 :9-14. [Details]

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Book Reviews

	Year	Publication
	(2017)	'Review of Stefania Consigliere (ed.) (2014) Mondi Multipli voll. I-II, Naples: Kaiak', in Tecnoscienza. The Italian Journal of Science and Technology Studies, 8, 1. Padoan, Tatsuma (2017) 'Review of Stefania Consigliere (ed.) (2014) Mondi Multipli voll. I-II, Naples: Kaiak', in Tecnoscienza. The Italian Journal of Science and Technology Studies, 8, 1. Book Reviews [Details]
	(2012)	'Un pensiero tutto curve: François Jullien (2011) L'ansa e l'accesso. Strategie del senso in Cina, Grecia, a cura di Paolo Fabbri, Milan: Mimesis', in Alfalibri (supplemento mensile di Alfabeta2), no. 17. Padoan, Tatsuma (2012) 'Un pensiero tutto curve: François Jullien (2011) L'ansa e l'accesso. Strategie del senso in Cina, Grecia, a cura di Paolo Fabbri, Milan: Mimesis', in Alfalibri (supplemento mensile di Alfabeta2), no. 17. Book Reviews [Details]

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Translations

	Year	Publication
	(2009)	'The Medieval Cult of Gyōki and Ise Shrines: Concerning the Narratives of Gyōki’s Pilgrimage to Ise', in Rethinking Medieval Shinto. Special issue of Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie vol. 16. Itō Satoshi (2009) 'The Medieval Cult of Gyōki and Ise Shrines: Concerning the Narratives of Gyōki’s Pilgrimage to Ise', in Rethinking Medieval Shinto. Special issue of Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie vol. 16. Kyoto: Translations [Details]
	(2009)	'On the Formation of Shinto Icons', in Rethinking Medieval Shinto. Special issue of Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie vol. 16. Kadoya Atsushi (2009) 'On the Formation of Shinto Icons', in Rethinking Medieval Shinto. Special issue of Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie vol. 16. Kyoto: Translations [Details]

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Professional Activities

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Honours and Awards

	Year	Title	Awarding Body
	2023	CACSSS Research Support Fund	College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, UCC
	2019	CACSSS Research Support Fund	College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, UCC
	2017	Newton International Fellowship Alumni Follow-on funding scheme	British Academy
	2017	JSPS International Postdoctoral Fellowship (Short-Term)	Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
	2015	JSPS International Postdoctoral Fellowship	Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
	2014	Newton International Postdoctoral Fellowship	British Academy
	2014	STS Italia Conference Scholarship	Italian Society of Science and Technology Studies
	2012	STS Italia Conference Scholarship	Italian Society of Science and Technology Studies
	2011	Early Fall School of Semiotics (EFSS) Scholarship	Interdepartmental Center for Research on Communication (CIRCe) of the University of Turin, and the Southeast European Center for Semiotic Studies
	2011	STS Italia Summer School Scholarship	Italian Society of Science and Technology Studies
	2011	Graduate Student Grant	International Centre for Semiotic Sciences "Umberto Eco", University of Urbino
	2010	Graduate Student Grant	International Centre for Semiotic Sciences "Umberto Eco", University of Urbino
	2009	Canon Foundation in Europe Fellowship	Canon Foundation in Europe
	2009	Research Funding	Venice for Peace Research Foundation, Inc.
	2008	Scholars Travel Grant	Toshiba International Foundation
	2008	Graduate Student Travel Grant	Columbia Center for Japanese Religion, Columbia University of New York
	2007	Graduate Student Travel Grant	Columbia Center for Japanese Religion, Columbia University of New York
	2007	Toshiba International Foundation Scholarship	European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS)
	2007	Postgraduate Scholarship	Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
	2005	First Prize in the Shinto Essay Competition	International Shinto Foundation, Inc.
	2004	First Prize in the Shinto Essay Competition	International Shinto Foundation, Inc.

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Professional Associations

	Association	Function	From / To
	European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA)	Member	/
	Italian Association for Semiotic Studies - Associazione Italiana Studi Semiotici (AISS)	Member	/

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Employment

	Employer	Position	From / To
	Osaka University, Anthropology Department	JSPS Visiting Fellow	30-MAR-17 / 13-JAN-18
	University College Cork	Lecturer in East Asian Religions	26-SEP-16 /
	SOAS, University of London	Lecturer in Japanese Religions	28-SEP-15 / 27-SEP-16
	SOAS, University of London	Newton International Postdoctoral Fellow	31-JAN-14 / 27-SEP-15
	Free University of Bozen – Bolzano	Senior Teaching Fellow in Cultural Anthropology	27-FEB-12 / 31-MAR-14
	Ca’ Foscari University of Venice	Senior Teaching Fellow in Japanese Religions	01-MAR-10 / 30-SEP-13
	Ca’ Foscari University of Venice	Teaching Fellow in Japanese Language	01-MAR-10 / 30-SEP-12

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Education

	Year	Institution	Qualification	Subject
	2011	Ca' Foscari University of Venice	Doctor of Philosophy	Religions and Anthropology of Japan (Languages, Cultures and Societies)

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Languages

	Language	Reading	Writing	Speaking
	Italian	Fluent	Fluent	Fluent
	Japanese	Fluent	Fluent	Fluent

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Journal Activities

	Journal	Role	To / From
	Current Anthropology	Peer Reviewer	-
	Signs And Society (Chicago Journals)	Peer Reviewer	-
	Glocalism: Journal Of Culture, Politics And Innovation	Peer Reviewer	-
	Etnografia E Ricerca Qualitativa (Ethnography And Qualitative Research)	Peer Reviewer	-
	Medical Anthropology	Peer Reviewer	-
	Ocula: Semiotic Eye On Media	Peer Reviewer	-
	Versus Vs: Quaderni Di Studi Semiotici	Peer Reviewer	-
	Sign Systems Studies	Peer Reviewer	-
	Lexia: Journals Of Semiotics	Peer Reviewer	-
	Rivista Dell’Associazione Italiana Di Studi Semiotici	Peer Reviewer	-
	Tecnoscienza The Italian Journal Of Science And Technology Studies	Peer Reviewer	-

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Other Activities

	Description
	British Academy, Review Panel, Grant Assessor for Visiting Fellowship Programme 2018 and 2023

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Teaching Activities

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Teaching Interests

Teaching Roles

• 2nd and 3rd year Co-ordinator for the BA Programme in Religions and Global Diversity, Department of Study of Religions
• Study of Religions Departmental Representative for the BA Programme in Anthropology
• Board Member of the MA and BA Programmes in Anthropology
• CACSSS Teaching and Learning Committee, Member of the “Recruitment and Employability Sub Committee”, Study of Religions Department and School of Society, Politics and Ethics Representative
  

Modules taught:    

BA in Anthropology 

• AY3003 Semiotics and Anthropology (module co-ordinator) https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/?details&srcdb=2023&code=AY3003

BA in Religions and Global Diversity 

• RG2301 Buddhism in Practice (module co-ordinator) https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/?details&code=RG2301
• RG2315 Ethnographies of Pilgrimage: Semiotic and Comparative Perspectives (module co-ordinator) https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/?details&srcdb=2022&code=RG2315
  
• RG2304 Religions of East Asia (module co-ordinator) https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/?details&srcdb=2022&code=RG2304
  
• RG1001 Religions in the Contemporary World (co-taught module) https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/?details&code=RG1001
  
• RG3000 Dissertation in the Study of Religions (module co-ordinator) https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/?details&code=RG3000

MA in Anthropology 

• AY6016 Rereading the Anthropological Classics (module co-ordinator) https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/?details&srcdb=2023&code=AY6016
  
• RG6096 Religions and Memory (module co-ordinator)
  
• AY6013 Anthropology: Paradigms and Theories (co-taught module) https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/?details&srcdb=2022&code=AY6013
  
• AY6015 Ethnography, Practice and Writing (co-taught module) https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/?details&srcdb=2023&code=AY6015
  
• AY6003 Dissertation in Anthropology (co-taught module) https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/?details&srcdb=2022&code=AY6003
  
• AY6005 Anthropology Research Laboratory (co-taught module) https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/?details&srcdb=2022&code=AY6005