Research Profile

Tatsuma Padoan

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

 ProjectFunding
Body
Start DateEnd DateAward
Aesthetic communication: the role of senses in social interaction, across and beyond the humanWenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research11-JUN-2414-JUN-24€18,500.00
Aesthetic communication: the role of senses in social interaction, across and beyond the humanCollege of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences06-FEB-2431-AUG-24€2,997.00
A semiotics of sacred geography: understanding pilgrimage and holy sites in a comparative perspectiveBritish Academy30-SEP-2130-MAR-23€7,000.00
A semiotics of sacred geography: understanding pilgrimage and holy sites in a comparative perspectiveBritish Academy01-JUL-1730-JUN-21€28,000.00

Publications

Books

 YearPublication
(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]

Book Chapters

 YearPublication
(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]

Peer Reviewed Journals

 YearPublication
(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]

Other Journals

 YearPublication
(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]

Book Reviews

 YearPublication
(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]

Translations

 YearPublication
(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]

Professional Activities

Honours and Awards

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

Professional Associations

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

Employment

 EmployerPositionFrom / To
Osaka University, Anthropology Department JSPS Visiting Fellow30-MAR-17 / 13-JAN-18
University College Cork Lecturer in East Asian Religions26-SEP-16 /
SOAS, University of London Lecturer in Japanese Religions28-SEP-15 / 27-SEP-16
SOAS, University of London Newton International Postdoctoral Fellow31-JAN-14 / 27-SEP-15
Free University of Bozen – Bolzano Senior Teaching Fellow in Cultural Anthropology27-FEB-12 / 31-MAR-14
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice Senior Teaching Fellow in Japanese Religions01-MAR-10 / 30-SEP-13
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice Teaching Fellow in Japanese Language01-MAR-10 / 30-SEP-12

Education

 YearInstitutionQualificationSubject
2011Ca' Foscari University of Venice Doctor of PhilosophyReligions and Anthropology of Japan (Languages, Cultures and Societies)

Languages

 LanguageReadingWritingSpeaking
Italian FluentFluentFluent
Japanese FluentFluentFluent

Journal Activities

 JournalRoleTo / 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-

Other Activities

 Description

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

Teaching Activities

Teaching Interests

I am open to supervising doctoral students in anthropology and study of religions, working on any of the following research areas: semiotics of religions, linguistic anthropology, Paris School semiotics, Deleuzian semiotics, Actor-Network-Theory, ethnosemiotics, anthropology of Buddhism, Japanese religions, anthropology of Japan, pilgrimage, ritual practice, Japanese mountain asceticism, religious materiality, learning and apprenticeship, anthropology of memory, aesthetic communication, nonhuman agency, semiotics of perception, spatial semiotics, nonrepresentational views on meaning, ethnography as translation, discourse and narrativity in social interaction, travel and tourism, design practices, Science and Technology Studies, and enunciation theory.

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 
BA in Religions and Global Diversity 
MA in Anthropology 

Contact details

  • Tatsuma Padoan
    Lecturer in East Asian Religions
  • tatsuma.padoan@ucc.ie
  • Dept. of Study of Religions
    O'Rahilly Building, University College Cork
    Cork, EIRE
    Ireland
  • +353214902436

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Study of Religions Department

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Room 2.22, O'Rahilly Building, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, T12 ND89

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