Joshua Hotaka Roth

Joshua Hotaka Roth is a Professor of Anthropology at Mount Holyoke College, where he also serves as Co-chair of Asian Studies. His research bridges political/legal anthropology, migration studies, and automotive cultures in Japan and Brazil.

• Ph.D. and M.A. in Anthropology from Cornell University
• B.A. in Anthropology and Japanese from Columbia University

Roth’s work examines:

• Ethnic minority experiences in Japan (Brazilian migrants, post-disaster contexts)
• Automotive governance and emotional landscapes in Japanese car culture
• Cognitive schemas in migration and consumption practices
• Cultural metaphors in recessionary economic discourse
• Transnational identity formation through sports and recreational activities

His recent publications analyze automotive risk in postwar Japan, spatial cognition in urban environments, and gendered metaphors in economic anthropology. Roth co-authored the memoir Dad’s Notebooks with his father, exploring intergenerational relationships and elder care dynamics.

Teaching interests include:

• Anthropology of Japan
• Migration and diaspora studies
• Research methodology
• Asian/Pacific/American studies