Yukiko Koga

Dr. Yukiko Koga is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Yale University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Her work focuses on post-imperial and post-colonial reckoning in East Asia, particularly addressing the moral and legal dimensions of settler colonialism, forced migration, and slavery. She holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Columbia University, an MA in Political Science from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, and a Bachelor of Laws from Keio University.

Her research examines how economic and legal spheres become sites for confronting colonial legacies. Her first book, Inheritance of Loss (2016), explores how China’s market transition shaped intergenerational encounters with colonial history in Northeast China. Her forthcoming book Post-imperial Reckoning analyzes collective lawsuits by Chinese victims seeking redress for Japanese imperial violence, highlighting legal activism’s role in redefining historical accountability.

Key research areas include transnational legal redress, memory politics, and the interplay between economic systems and colonial inheritance. Awards include the 2017 Anthony Leeds Book Prize and the Francis L. K. Hsu Book Prize. Courses taught include Politics of Memory and Reparation, Repair, Reconciliation.

Her work bridges anthropology, law, and history, emphasizing grassroots efforts to confront unresolved imperial legacies. Ongoing projects explore how legal frameworks and economic systems mediate generational accountability for historical injustices.