Michael K. Bourdaghs

Michael K. Bourdaghs is the Robert S. Ingersoll Professor in East Asian Languages and Civilizations and the College at the University of Chicago, where he also chairs the Committee on Japanese Studies. He specializes in modern Japanese literature, culture, and intellectual history, with particular expertise in Japanese popular music and literary/critical theory.

Professor Bourdaghs's research focuses on Japanese literature within global contexts, emphasizing how Japanese literature moves across multiple global networks. His current project rethinks Japanese cultures of the Cold War era, examining how Japanese writers, filmmakers, and musicians participated in multiple Cold War networks beyond the typical U.S./Japan bilateral framework. His scholarly work reveals consistent themes across Japanese literature, critical theory, and cultural history, particularly regarding property ownership, nationalism, and geopolitical alignments.

His extensive publication record includes major works such as Sound Alignments: Popular Music in Asia's Cold Wars (2021), A Fictional Commons: Natsume Sōseki and the Properties of Modern Literature (2021), and Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon: A Geopolitical Pre-History of J-Pop (2012), demonstrating his interdisciplinary approach connecting literary analysis with political, historical, and theoretical frameworks.

Professor Bourdaghs has received recognition for his scholarly contributions through numerous publications with prestigious academic presses including Duke University Press, Columbia University Press, and the University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies.

As an educator, Professor Bourdaghs teaches courses on East Asian popular music, Japanese literature, and sound in Japanese literature. His commitment to bridging academic communities extends to his editorial work introducing Japanese critical theory and scholarship to English-language readers, fostering greater academic exchange between Japan and Western institutions.