26/03/2025
The Journal of Japanese Studies is excited to announce the winner of the Pyle Prize for best essay in JJS in 2024. The selection committee awards the Pyle Prize to Alexander Murphy for his essay, “The Voice of a Stranger: Rumor, Radio, and the Aurality of Difference in Interwar Japan.” We were impressed by its innovative approach to understanding aural communities through the interconnectedness of rumor and radio. Murphy's concept of “paranoid listening” is particularly evocative, offering a fresh theoretical perspective. His attention to the details of accent and location enriches the analysis of the interplay between empire and local identities. Additionally, Murphy's article highlights unexpected connections to Japan's broader empire, further deepening the examination of the political and ideological dimensions of listening, starting with rumors and extending to the colonized body. The article offers a nuanced contribution to contemporary scholarship on modern Japan.
The committee recognizes Keisuke Yamada and Andrew Niess's essay, “The Emergence of Sō-on: Factory Music, Noise, and An/aesthetic Strategies for Industrial Management” with an honorable mention for its innovative exploration of the evolution of factory music and labor management. The piece stands out for its strong archival research and engagement with the ecology of sound. Additionally, the article's emphases on local (Japanese) managerial experiences and practices and on women's history make it a truly well-rounded study.
Link to the story on The Society for Japanese Studies website: https://www.japanesestudies.org/news/kenneth-b-pyle-prize-for-best-article-in-jjs-2024
Links to the articles:
https://online.ucpress.edu/jjs/article/50/1/65/201096/The-Voice-of-a-Stranger-Rumor-Radio-and-the
https://online.ucpress.edu/jjs/article/50/2/287/202953/The-Emergence-of-So-onFactory-Music-Noise-and-An
