24 September 2026
The New Role of Lord Mayor, with Jason Fazackarley
Jason Fazackarley
Author and raconteur, Lesley Downer, bubbles with excitement and fascinating detail, telling stranger-than-fiction tales of empresses, novelists and warriors, courtesans and geishas. This talk will cure you of any stereotypical preconceptions you might have had about Japanese women being ‘submissive’.
Japanese women in history have proved far from ‘submissive’. Japanese history features queens, empresses and the court lady who wrote the world’s first novel. There were women warriors, courtesans and geishas who presided over Japan’s salon culture. There have been flappers and militant feminists.
Lesley Downer has a wealth of stories that bring into focus just some of these powerful Japanese women, putting paid once and for all to the egregious stereotype of the ‘submissive geisha’.
Lesley Downer is a Japanese-speaking writer, historian and all-round Japan specialist. She has written four ‘Shogun-era’ historical novels, as well as several works of non-fiction including Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World. She was the historical consultant for Northern Ballet’s spectacular 2020 ballet, Geisha, and she appeared on the Netflix show, Age of the Samurai: Battle for Japan giving a female perspective. Lesley’s latest book, ‘The Shortest History of Japan’ has been described as “A masterpiece of brevity from one of the great writers on Japan” – it is available in paperback from June 2024, just in time for this talk.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) works in collaboration with Palestinian communities and trusted local partners to answer a wide range of health and social needs, from providing vital medical aid in emergencies, to supporting the development of better health services for the long term. They also believe in speaking out against injustices that prevent Palestinians from fully enjoying their rights to health and dignity, campaigning to ensure the voices of Palestinians impacted by occupation, displacement and conflict are heard at the highest levels.
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