Allison Alexy

Allison Alexy is an Associate Professor of Women's & Gender Studies at the University of Michigan, where she also serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies. She holds an interdisciplinary role at the Center for Japanese Studies, focusing on cultural anthropology with a specialization in contemporary Japan. Her research explores family dynamics, legal frameworks, and gender norms, particularly through the lens of divorce and family law. She received her PhD from Yale University in 2008.

• Education: PhD in Anthropology, Yale University (2008)
• Research Focus: Family life, legal anthropology, gender, and intimacy in Japan.
• Publications: Author of Intimate Disconnections (2020) and Family Law in a Family Nation (manuscript), co-editor of Intimate Japan (2019) and Home and Family in Japan (2019).

Her current project examines parental abduction cases in Japan, analyzing legal gaps and societal responses. She has received grants from the Abe Fellowship Program and the TOME initiative for open-access publishing. Alexy mentors numerous students in anthropology, Japanese studies, and gender studies, advising over 20 theses and dissertations. She also serves as series editor for the Asia Pop! book series at the University of Hawaiʻi Press.