Thomas Looser

Thomas Looser is an Associate Professor in NYU's Faculty of Arts and Science specializing in Cultural Anthropology, Japanese Studies, and Critical Theory with complementary expertise in New Media/Animation and Art/Architecture/Urban Form.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Chicago (1999)

His scholarship investigates aesthetic and cultural practices across historical and contemporary contexts, particularly in Japan. He examines how Noh theater, urban design, animation, and visual media shape social formations and mediate cultural crises. His 2010 monograph "Visioning Eternity" established foundational work on early modern Noh aesthetics, while his departmental affiliation remains unspecified in source materials.

2017 publications reveal thematic continuity across Japanese pop culture ("Superflat Worlds"), urban anthropology ("Private Cities"), diasporic visual cultures ("Real Imaginary Diasporas"), and theoretical media anthropology ("Media, Mediation and Crisis"). Collectively, these works demonstrate interdisciplinary synthesis of anthropological methods with visual/media studies.

Contact: tom.looser@nyu.edu, Office: 19 University Place, Rm 503, New York, NY 10003, Phone: (212) 998-7619. Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:00-3:00 p.m. (online/in-person).