Mario Talamo

Mario Talamo is a Contract Professor of Japanese Language and Literature, Korean Language and Literature at the University of Naples 'L'Orientale'. He holds a PhD in East and South Asia from the same institution, with a thesis on sales strategies and marketing of literary products in the late Edo period, focusing on Jippensha Ikku's works. His academic journey includes studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (2003–04), affiliation with Keio University's Literature Department (2008–10), and a post-doctoral research period at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (2014–20). He obtained a post-doctoral diploma in Religious Sciences and History of Thought, with a thesis on intellectual and narrative paradigm evolution in late Edo period literature.

• Education
  • PhD in East and South Asia, University of Naples 'L'Orientale'
  • Diplôme post-doctoral en Sciences Religieuses et Histoire de la Pensée, École Pratique des Hautes Études

His research focuses on Japanese intellectual history and late Edo period literature (1804–44), particularly Gesaku genres like chuhon, kibyoshi, gokan, and yomihon. He examines secularization trends in mass-produced literary works and their impact on ethical, intellectual, and receptive paradigms during the Tokugawa shogunate's decline (1787–1853). His methodology combines inductive analysis of narrative works with deductive application of general hypotheses, using transcribed and translated primary sources from the era.

Talamo's affiliations include membership in the CNRS, Collège de France, CRCAO (Centre de Recherche sur les Civilisations de l'Asie Orientale) UMR 8155, EAJS (European Association for Japanese Studies), EAJRS (European Association of Japanese Resource Specialists), and AISTUGIA (Italian Association of Japanese Studies). He served as a visiting research scholar at Nichibunken (International Research Center for Japanese Studies) in Kyoto (2023–24) for yomihon research.

Scientific Awards

• Diplôme post-doctoral en Sciences Religieuses et Histoire de la Pensée (École Pratique des Hautes Études)