E. Taylor Atkins

E. Taylor Atkins is a Professor in the Department of History at Northern Illinois University, where he has worked since 1997. He serves as the 2024 Outstanding International Educator and Fulbright Student Program Advisor. His teaching spans undergraduate and graduate courses on modern world history, Japanese and Korean history, and topics like the Korean War, Rebel Music, and Oral History.

• Education: Ph.D. in History (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1997); M.A. in History (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1992); B.A. in History (University of Arkansas, 1989, summa cum laude)

Atkins’ research focuses on modern Japanese and Korean cultural history, ethnomusicology, and transnational popular culture. He pioneered the field of New Jazz Studies by internationalizing jazz scholarship, particularly through works like Blue Nippon: Authenticating Jazz in Japan (2001) and Jazz Planet (2003). His publications include Primitive Selves: Koreana in the Japanese Colonial Gaze, 1910-1945 (2010), which examines Japanese colonial portrayals of Koreans, and A History of Popular Culture in Japan (2017, 2022), a Choice Outstanding Academic Title (2018). His recent 2024 book Kogun explores music’s role in Japanese-Korean relations.

Atkins has received multiple accolades, including the 2013 Presidential Teaching Professor and 2024 Outstanding International Educator awards. His work has been featured in New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and international podcasts. He also led an oral history project documenting the 2008 NIU campus shooting’s community impact.

• Scientific Awards:
  • 2024 Outstanding International Educator
  • 2013 Presidential Teaching Professor
  • 2003 John Whitney Hall Book Prize
  • 2018 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Atkins’ teaching emphasizes critical thinking and student-centered projects, inspired by Confucian and Bahá’í educational philosophies. He frequently teaches online, honors seminars, and study abroad programs in Japan, including courses on the Japanese Empire and World War I.