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UID:pretalx-wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026-FC79LL@pretalx.com
DTSTART;TZID=KST:20260627T160000
DTEND;TZID=KST:20260627T162000
DESCRIPTION:This article examines the rapid increase in noise\, defined as 
 unwanted sound\, and ordinary people’s reactions to it in Germany and Ja
 pan around 1900\, when the world was not yet fully globalized in a modern 
 sense. While previous historical studies of noise in the two countries hav
 e explored how urban noise became a major issue and how this shift often l
 ed to anti-noise initiatives\, such as Theodor Lessing’s Anti-Noise Soci
 ety (Antilärmverein) in Germany\, they have paid little attention to conn
 ecting ordinary people’s experiences of noise in those two countries fro
 m a global perspective. This article argues that German and Japanese publi
 cs developed parallel anti-noise strategies to maintain normalcy in daily 
 life. In both countries\, new experiences of noise spurred by industrializ
 ation and urbanization led to discontinuity in daily life. Mushrooming fac
 tories\, electric trains\, and automobiles generated new forms of mechanic
 al noise and began to disrupt the existing lifestyle of ordinary people. W
 ith industrial and urban noise emerging as a global challenge for both cou
 ntries\, ordinary Germans and Japanese\, despite the absence of direct con
 tact or knowledge of each other\, responded to noise nuisance in strikingl
 y similar ways. Specifically\, they negotiated with their neighbors\, priv
 ate companies\, and local authorities through informal agreements\, collec
 tive petitions\, and lawsuits. At the heart of these actions was their des
 ire to preserve the most fundamental conditions of life: health and liveli
 hood. Overall\, this coeval establishment of daily frameworks for understa
 nding noise serves as a case study of how Germany and Japan\, not as isola
 ted states but as participants in an emergent global community\, responded
  to common challenges at the turn of the century. More broadly\, this stud
 y suggests that focusing on hitherto neglected historical actors allows us
  to reflect on the prevalent concepts of connection and disconnection in g
 lobal history.
DTSTAMP:20260412T123925Z
LOCATION:Room 302 (Seats 48)
SUMMARY:Maintaining Normalcy in a New Acoustic World: Noise\, Livelihood\, 
 and Health in Germany and Japan around 1900 - Jaehyeong Yu
URL:https://pretalx.com/wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026/talk/FC79LL/
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