A swanky end-of-year party at the University of Cambridge has scrapped its Japanese theme after it was criticized as an example of “cultural appropriation”.
A “Tokyo to Kyoto” event, costing £100 ($140) a head, has been scrubbed of oriental reference after complaints that the theme was insufficiently respectful to Japan.
Instead the party, meant to celebrate the end of exams, has been whitewashed to have the theme “Metropolis”, which refers only to non-specific cities.
The first theme was set around the contrasts between the two major Japanese cities, which promised “vibrant fashions” and “neon lights” paired with “Imperial palaces and tranquil gardens”.
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The change was announced in an email to attendees over the weekend, published by The Cambridge Tab student newspaper.
It said: “The June Event Committee are please to announce a change of theme from ‘Tokyo to Kyoto’ to ‘Metropolis’.
“In making this change the Committee are mindful that the June Event should not be divisive, and we hope that this change will enable all students to enjoy the event.
“The committee would like to take this opportunity to thank the Japanese individuals who have been involved in the organisation of the event and we apologize for any inconvenience this change has brought.”
The Tab polled readers to see whether they thought the event should have been changed. At time of writing, 92% had answered “no”.
Student-run events at the end of Cambridge’s academic year are famously extravagant, and use the colleges’ own impressive architecture as a canvas for extra decorations.
Promotional material for the event, now removed from the internet but preserved in a cached version of the website, invited guests to “come aboard the Tokaido bullet train as we take you on a journey from Tokyo to Kyoto.”
According to emails cited by the FlyGirlsOfCambridge blog, which published shrill criticism of the event, the Japanese Society had volunteered its members to help organize the event.
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Despite members of the society clearly enjoying the event sufficiently to join in, blog author Hanna Stephens accused to organizers of “commodifying” Japan and “causing offence”.
She claimed the event was part of an “Orientalist” culture which was also responsible for Japanese Americans being sent to camps during the Second World War, and today manifests itself in a “lack of social interaction” between Asian and Western students.
Cambridge parties are not usually accompanied by hand-wringing firestorms.
Previous years have seen Greek, Italian, Middle Eastern and indeed Far Eastern themes executed with little fuss.
Pictured here is the ball at another college last summer:
But in recent months even much lower-profile social events have flared into cultural disputes.
Last week Heat Street reported that students at Queens’ College were branded racist for holding an Africa-themed dinner.
Earlier in the year a party tied to the classic novel Around the World in 80 Days was scrapped for fear they would wear offensive costumes.
Other British campuses have implemented sombrero bans and shut down themed in case young people are insufficiently reverent.
The conflict also echoes a ruckus at the University of Missouri, which saw student protesters force the owner of a sushi restaurant to remove the Rising Sun Flag from his store logo.
Heat Street has contacted the Trinity Hall organizing committee for comment.