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Susan L. Burns is a Professor at the University of Chicago, where she holds appointments in the Department of History, Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and The College. She currently serves as Department Chair and Chair of the Undergraduate Studies Committee. Education: PhD, University of Chicago (1994) Her research focuses on Japan’s nineteenth-century social history, emphasizing intellectual and cultural practices, the intersection of medicine and public health, gender analysis, and legal discourses. She explores continuities between Japan’s early modern and modern eras, particularly how medical and legal frameworks shaped national identity. Recent publications span leprosy’s impact on citizenship, the rise of medical marketplaces, and gendered dimensions of reproductive health. Her digital humanities work on Mapping Medical Tokyo integrates GIS and text mining for historical analysis. Scientific Awards: Fulbright-Hays Fellowship IIE Fulbright Japan Foundation Japan Society for the Promotion of Science National Endowment for the Humanities She has secured grants for research on medical commodities, psychiatric practices, and the spatial dimensions of Meiji-era health policies. Her courses include Gender and Japanese History and Medicine and Culture in East Asia .

• Japanese history
• Tokugawa period
• Meiji period
• +6 more

Kären Wigen is the Frances and Charles Field Professor in History at Stanford University, specializing in Japanese history and the history of cartography. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Berkeley (1990). Her research spans: Historical geography of East Asia Early modern Japanese regional economies Geographies of the imagination Transnational maritime histories Critical cartography and spatial analysis Her publications include eight major works from 1992-2025 analyzing spatial transformations in Japan and global metageography, with recent projects focusing on temporal dimensions in cartographic representation. She co-edited Seascapes (2007) and Cartographic Japan (2016), and serves as Director of Stanford’s Mellon Fellowship of Scholars in the Humanities since 2022.

• Historical geography of East Asia
• Early modernity in Japan
• Regional economies and rhetorics
• +4 more

Melissa McCormick, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Japanese Art and Culture at Harvard University, holds a Ph.D. in Japanese Art History from Princeton University (2000) and a B.A. in art history and Japanese from the University of Michigan (1990). She has taught at Columbia University as the Atsumi Assistant Professor of Japanese Art (2000-05) and at Harvard since 2005, where she was promoted to Professor with tenure in 2009. She has held visiting professorships at the University of Zurich and Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. Education : University of Michigan (B.A.), Princeton University (Ph.D.), Gakushūin University (1996-98) Affiliations : Harvard Art Museums, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NHK Documentaries, Getty Foundation Her research explores the interplay of text and image in Japanese art, focusing on emaki (narrative scrolls), The Tale of Genji , and Buddhist themes. Her 2018 monograph The Tale of Genji: A Visual Companion and 2009 book Tosa Mitsunobu and the Small Scroll in Medieval Japan established new frameworks for analyzing scroll format and narrative. Current projects examine Buddhist nun-artist Ōtagaki Rengetsu and bridal manuscript traditions. Selected articles highlight her work on Hakubyō (ink-line painting), medieval Genji genealogies, and the poetics of chigo (novice) tales. She has contributed to exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Dartmouth College’s Hood Museum. Scientific Awards : Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities (1990) At Harvard, McCormick teaches courses ranging from introductory surveys ( Arts of Japan ) to advanced seminars on gender, tea culture, and museum research. She co-curated the 2019 Tale of Genji exhibition at the Met, which received critical acclaim, and developed an edX course with over 20,000 enrollments. Her consultancy work extends to opera and dance companies, including Japan Society and Asia Society of Texas.

• Japanese Art History
• Visual Storytelling
• Text-Image Relationship
• +7 more

David L. Howell is the Robert K. and Dale J. Weary Professor of Japanese History and Professor of History at Harvard University, holding a joint appointment in the History Department. He serves as Acting Director of the Program on US-Japan Relations at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and is currently Department Chair of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. On leave during the 2025-2026 academic year, he has been a Harvard faculty member since 2010 after teaching at the University of Texas at Austin and Princeton University. His educational background includes: B.A. from the University of Hawai'i at Hilo Ph.D. in History from Princeton University Studies at Hokkaido University in Sapporo Howell specializes in Japanese social history during the Tokugawa (1603-1868) and Meiji (1868-1912) periods, examining how political and economic transformations impacted ordinary citizens. His current research investigates the Meiji Restoration's societal continuity and urban waste management systems in pre-modern Japan, revealing intricate connections between institutional change and daily life. His publications from 1995-2014 demonstrate evolving scholarly focus from economic structures in fisheries to cultural identity and diplomatic practices, consistently centered on nineteenth-century Japan. Key thematic threads include spatial identity formation, urban development, and the intersection of local customs with national modernization efforts. Howell served as editor of the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies (2014-2024) and co-edited The New Cambridge History of Japan volume on Early Modern Japan (2024), significantly shaping contemporary scholarship in Japanese historical studies.

• Japanese History
• Social History
• Tokugawa Period
• +5 more

Roderick Ike Wilson serves as Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Department of History within the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. He concurrently holds the position of Director of Graduate Studies for EALC and maintains affiliate status with the Center for East Asian & Pacific Studies (CEAPS), reflecting his interdisciplinary engagement with Japanese and East Asian studies. His academic credentials include: Ph.D. in History from Stanford University M.A. in Modern Japanese History from University of Oregon B.A. in History with Japanese Language minor from Portland State University Professor Wilson's research centers on environmental history with specialized focus on human-habitat interactions in Tokugawa and modern Japan. His monograph Turbulent Streams: An Environmental History of Japan's Rivers, 1600-1930 (Brill, 2021) established foundational work in Japanese river history, while his current second book project examines Tokyo's urban-environmental transformation. His scholarship bridges historical methodology with ecological analysis, frequently incorporating transnational perspectives on environmental change and emphasizing grassroots historical narratives. Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent thematic concentration on Japanese environmental history, particularly watershed management and urban waterscapes across the Tokugawa to modern periods. His work increasingly incorporates comparative global frameworks, as evidenced by collaborative projects exploring anthropological-historical intersections and transnational environmental humanities approaches. The research trajectory demonstrates evolution from single-case river studies toward broader urban-environmental syntheses with methodological innovations in historical ecology. As Director of Graduate Studies, Wilson oversees EALC's graduate program and teaches diverse courses including Global Environmental History (History 570), Tokyo studies (EALC 327), and East Asian Civilizations (History 120). His instructional portfolio spans undergraduate surveys to advanced seminars on Japanese historiography, environmental change, and science/technology in East Asia, reflecting his commitment to interdisciplinary pedagogy.

• Environmental History
• Japanese History
• Urban History
• +3 more

William Fleming is an Assistant Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). He specializes in early modern Japanese literature, with a focus on 18th- and 19th-century fiction, popular theater, book history, and cultural exchange between Japan, China, and the West. Fleming holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and has held visiting research positions at Kyoto University, Waseda University, and the National Institute of Japanese Literature in Tokyo. Before joining UCSB, he taught at Yale University’s Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures and the Theater Studies Program. His research explores the circulation of Chinese fiction in early modern Japan and its adaptation in Japanese literary works. He has authored a monograph and numerous peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from Kabuki theater to Japan’s cultural interactions with overseas influences. Fleming also contributes to pedagogical innovation, advocating for problem-based learning in humanities education. Education: Ph.D., Harvard University Undergraduate studies, Harvard University Research Interests: Fleming’s work centers on the interplay between Japanese literature and broader cultural contexts. Key themes include literary adaptation, transnational cultural flows, and the role of performance and print media in shaping cultural narratives. His monograph Strange Tales from Edo: Rewriting Chinese Fiction in Early Modern Japan (2023) examines the reception and transformation of Chinese stories in Japanese literary traditions. He also investigates how popular theater forms like Kabuki engaged with ideas of national identity and foreign cultures. Professional Contributions: Fleming has published commentaries on rare books in the Gerhard Pulverer Collection and contributed reviews to journals like Japan Forum and Asian Theatre Journal . His teaching philosophy emphasizes active learning strategies, as detailed in his 2017 article on problem sets in humanities education.

• Early Modern Japanese Literature
• 18th- and 19th-Century Fiction
• Popular Theater
• +4 more

Morgan Pitelka is the Bernard L. Herman Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, holding appointments in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and the Department of History. His research focuses on late medieval and early modern Japan, with an emphasis on material culture, environmental history, and urban development. Key works include Reading Medieval Ruins: Urban Life and Destruction in Sixteenth-Century Japan (2021), which examines the socio-political dynamics of Kyoto’s transformation, and Spectacular Accumulation (2016), awarded the Southeastern Conference of the Association of Asian Studies Book Prize. Pitelka’s interdisciplinary approach bridges archaeology, art history, and political history, often utilizing excavated artifacts and documentary evidence to reconstruct lived experiences. He advises graduate students in Japanese history, including Jason Castro (co-advised with Cemil Aydın) and Megan McClory. Pitelka is also the director of the UNC Japanese History Lab and chairs the American Advisory Committee for the Japan Foundation. His media engagements include podcast appearances, lectures on samurai patronage, and analyses of Edo-period cultural artifacts. Current projects include a book on Kyoto’s environmental and material foundations, exploring the interplay between natural elements and urban development in early modern Japan.

• Late Medieval and Early Modern Japan
• Material Culture
• Environmental History
• +1 more

Jakobina K. Arch is Professor of History at Whitman College. Her research bridges Marine Environmental History , Early Modern Japanese History , and the History of Science , with a unique focus on Animal History —particularly whales. She teaches courses on East Asian Environmental History , 19th Century Animal History , and Pacific Whaling History .

• Marine Environmental History
• Early Modern and Modern Japanese History
• History of Science
• +3 more

David C. Atherton is Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, specializing in early modern Japanese literature (Edo/Tokugawa period, ca. 1600-1867). His research investigates interactions between literary forms and social/political contexts during Japan's era of burgeoning literacy. His award-winning monograph Writing Violence (2023) analyzes how depictions of violence in popular fiction manipulated narrative form to critique social conventions. Current book project Playing at the Edge of Death examines creative selfhood through works of Ueda Akinari (1734-1809). Professor Atherton teaches Japanese literature courses and the popular General Education course 'Creativity.' Recognized for teaching excellence, he received Harvard's Roslyn Abramson Award and Everett Mendelsohn Mentoring Award. His education includes a Harvard AB in Chinese literature/film, University of Wisconsin MA in classical Thai literature, and Columbia PhD in Japanese literature.

• Edo Period Literature
• Manuscript Culture
• Print Culture
• +3 more

Amy Stanley is the Orrington Lunt Professor of History and Director of the Nicholas D. Chabraja Center for Historical Studies at Northwestern University’s Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences. She holds a PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University (2007) and an A.B. in East Asian Studies (Summa cum laude, 1999). Her research focuses on early modern and modern Japan, with specialties in global history, gender, and narrative. Notable works include Stranger in the Shogun’s City (2020), winner of the National Book Critics’ Circle Award, and Selling Women (2012). Her academic roles include directorships, professorships since 2007, and leadership in historical studies. Awards include the Guggenheim Fellowship (2023-24), PEN/America Award, and multiple teaching honors. She actively contributes to global history discussions, gender studies, and historical methodology. Education: Harvard University (PhD 2007, A.B. 1999) Research Interests: Edo and Meiji Japan, urban history, gender and sexuality, global connections Awards: Pulitzer finalist, NEH Fellowships, teaching accolades Publications: Over 15 authored/edited books and articles on Japanese history, global networks, and gender Her recent work critiques historical narratives on wartime Japan and explores intersections of gender and power. She advises graduate students on Edo/Meiji topics and leads interdisciplinary research initiatives.

• Asian History
• Global History
• Urban History
• +3 more

Mark T. McNally is a Professor and Director of the Center for Okinawan Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He holds a BA in Asian Studies from Pomona College (1990), and MA (1995) and PhD (1998) in History from UCLA. His research focuses on early modern Japanese social and intellectual history, including Confucianism, Kokugaku nativism, and Ryūkyū-Japan relations. Education: BA Pomona College, MA/PhD UCLA Affiliations: Center for Okinawan Studies, Department of History His research interests span Japan’s early modern period, with emphasis on exceptionalism, transnational dynamics, race, and imperialism. Major works include Like No Other: Exceptionalism and Nativism in Early Modern Japan (2016) and studies on Ryūkyū’s political legitimacy. Publications consistently engage with themes of cultural identity, nationalism, and intellectual conflict within pre-modern Japanese contexts. His work bridges comparative global frameworks with deep regional expertise. Awards: Fulbright Fellowship, Harvard Reischauer Institute Postdoc, Tokyo University Research Scholarship Dr. McNally has held visiting professorships at Eberhard Karls University (Germany) and fellowships at institutions including UCLA and Tokyo University’s Historiographical Institute.

• Japanese History
• Early Modern History
• World Comparative Studies
• +5 more

Puck Brecher is a Professor in the Department of History at Washington State University's College of Arts and Sciences. His scholarship focuses on early modern and modern Japanese social and cultural history, with particular expertise in human-animal relationships, environmental history, aesthetics, and the study of autonomy in historical contexts. Ph.D., University of Southern California, 2005 M.A., University of Michigan, 1991 B.A., Kenyon College, 1988 Dr. Brecher's research explores intersections between cultural practices and environmental thought in Japan, including topics like the historical treatment of animals, urban development, and the role of eccentricity in shaping societal norms. His 2022 book Animal Care in Japanese Tradition: A Short History examines the evolution of animal ethics in Japanese culture. Recent publications emphasize multispecies dynamics (2023), imperial ecology (2023), and global environmental history frameworks (2024). His work also addresses transnational comparisons in wildlife conservation, religious influences on sport, and historical responses to ecological crises. Dr. Brecher's methodological approach blends interdisciplinary analysis with close textual study of historical documents, literary works, and ethnographic sources. He has contributed extensively to journals like Asian Ethnology and Early Modern Japan , focusing on marginalized figures and alternative historical narratives.

• East Asian History
• Japanese Cultural History
• Environmental History
• +6 more

Peter A. Flueckiger is a Professor of Japanese at Pomona College, serving as Chair of Asian Languages and Literatures and Coordinator of the Japanese Section. His academic career spans multiple decades, with affiliations to prestigious institutions like Columbia University and Harvard College. Education Ph.D., Columbia University Master of Arts, Columbia University Bachelor of Arts, Harvard College Flueckiger's scholarly work centers on the intersection of literary theory, political philosophy, and ethical discourse in 18th-century Japan. He examines Confucian thought, Nativism (Kokugaku), and the evolution of Tokugawa-period waka poetry. His research highlights figures like Ogyu Sorai, Dazai Shundai, Kamo no Mabuchi, and Motoori Norinaga, exploring their contributions to understanding human nature and societal harmony. His publications, including the book Imagining Harmony and articles in Monumenta Nipponica and The Proceedings of the Association for Japanese Literary Studies , reflect his focus on pre-modern Japanese literature and its philosophical underpinnings. Flueckiger's translations have enriched anthologies like Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology . Scientific Awards Fulbright Graduate Research Fellowship, 2000 Flueckiger teaches courses in classical Japanese, pre-modern literature, and critical inquiry, contributing to the academic community through both instruction and research. His work bridges literary analysis with broader ethical and political questions in Tokugawa Japan.

• Japanese Literary Theory
• Political Philosophy
• Ethical Philosophy
• +3 more

Constantine N. Vaporis is a Professor of Japanese and East Asian History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). He holds affiliate appointments in the Gender and Women’s Studies Program and has served as Founding Director (2011–2017) and Interim Director (2024–2025) of the Asian Studies Program. His academic contributions span research, teaching, and public engagement through TED-Ed animations and Smithsonian tours. Ph.D. from Princeton University 2013–2016 UMBC Presidential Research Professorship Residential Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (2020–2021) Lipitz Professorship (2022–2023) Dr. Vaporis specializes in Japanese and East Asian history, with a focus on the Edo period, samurai culture, military service systems, and the alternate attendance policy. His work bridges academic rigor and public accessibility, exemplified by his collaboration with TED-Ed on the viral animation A Day in the Life of a Teenage Samurai and his role as a historical consultant for National Geographic and video game producers. His current projects include a book titled The Black Ships: Commodore Perry, American Exceptionalism, and the Opening of Japan, 1852–54 and a lecture series The Rise of the Samurai for The Great Courses. He also contributes to K–12 education and government agency training programs on Asia-Pacific topics. Scientific Awards include: Fulbright Scholar’s Award (x2) NEH Fellowship for College Teachers UMBC Presidential Research Professorship (2013–2016) ASIANetwork Speakers Bureau (2016–2020) Princeton Residential Fellowship (2020–2021) Lipitz Professorship (2022–2023) Dr. Vaporis’s publications span monographs, textbooks, and public-facing works. His Samurai. An Encyclopedia of Japan’s Cultured Warriors (2022) and the forthcoming The Samurai. A Biography in Twelve Lives (2025) highlight his expertise in samurai studies. His research on the Edo period’s social and political structures, including Tour of Duty and Breaking Barriers , has redefined understanding of early modern Japan. Outside academia, he practices Japanese archery (kendo), organic gardening, kayaking, and language learning. He also serves as an educator for Smithsonian Journeys tours of Japan and consults for video game developers and exhibitions.

• Japanese History
• East Asian History
• Samurai Studies
• +9 more

Federico Marcon is a Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at Princeton University. His research centers on the intellectual history of early modern and modern Japan, with emphasis on knowledge production, semiotics, and historiography. He explores the interplay of social, political, and institutional dynamics in shaping scholarly traditions, particularly within the context of Japanese natural history ( honzōgaku ), fascism, and global intellectual exchanges. Marcon’s work spans several interconnected fields: Intellectual History : Tracing the evolution of ideas in Japan from the Tokugawa to Meiji periods. History of Knowledge : Analyzing how natural history and scientific practices transformed amid modernization. Political Thought : Investigating fascism’s ideological roots and historiographical debates in Japan. Semiotics & Historiography : Critiquing methodologies in cultural representation and historical narrative. His publications reflect a focus on Japan’s engagement with global discourses, including fascism’s transnational dimensions and the reinterpretation of traditional knowledge under Western scientific influence. Awards, students, and lab affiliations are not detailed in available sources.

• Intellectual History
• History of Knowledge
• Semiotics
• +4 more