Judit Árokay

Prof. Dr. Judit Árokay is a W3 Professor at the Institute for Japanese Studies, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg. Her career spans institutions including the University of Hamburg and Free University Berlin.

• Current projects: Digital Literary Map of Japan (2016–present) with Osaka University and National Institute of Japanese Literature
• Co-editor of Bunron (2014–present), a multilingual journal on Japanese literary studies

Education:

• MA in German/English (1990, Eötvös Loránd University)
• MA in Japanese Studies (1994, University of Hamburg)
• PhD in Japanese Poetics (1998, University of Hamburg, summa cum laude)
• Habilitation (2007, Free University Berlin)

Research Interests focus on premodern Japanese literature, especially waka poetry and poetological/theoretical discourses from Heian to Edo periods. She examines intertextuality, gender in poetics, and cultural semiotics, with recent work on digital humanities applications for Japanese literary geography. Key themes include:

• Evolution of poetic language
• Performance theory in Japanese cultural studies
• Reception of Japanese literature in German-speaking regions
• Women's roles in classical Japanese writing
• Intertextual references (utamakura)
• Linguistic change in Edo poetics

Article Trends show a trajectory from medieval Japanese women's poetry analysis to late Edo period poetological discourses, with recent emphasis on digital mapping of literary geography and multilingual journal curation. Her work bridges textual analysis, cultural theory, and intercultural comparisons.

Scientific Awards:

• Doctoral scholarship (University of Hamburg, 1994–1996)
• Fellow at Marsilius Kolleg (2015/16)

Collaborations include Prof. Iikura Yōichi and Nakao Kaoru (Osaka University), DFG research groups, and editorial partnerships for Bunron. She contributes to global Japanology through digital tools and cross-cultural publications.