Junko Oba

Junko Oba is an Associate Professor of Music at Hampshire College, specializing in ethnomusicology, sound recording archivism, and Japanese music cultures. She holds a B.A. from International Christian University (Tokyo) and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Wesleyan University.

• Educated at International Christian University and Wesleyan University
• Teaches courses in ethnomusicology, popular music studies, and Asian studies
• Active in the Five College Early Music Program as a viola da gamba performer

Her research focuses on traditional and contemporary Japanese music, performative identity politics in Asian diasporas (particularly Brazilian expatriate communities in Japan), music instrument materiality, and the cultural history of radio. Key themes include sound as political power, collective memory construction, and multisensory cultural practices.

Oba's pedagogical approach integrates critical organology, music theory, and cross-cultural analysis of soundscapes. Her recent courses examine sonic territorialization, media politics, and the philosophical dimensions of listening in Japanese sound cultures.