معرفی
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.
