معرفی
Kenjiro Iwamura is a Professor at the School of Law, Waseda University, specializing in Latin American history with a particular focus on Cuba and race ideology. His academic career spans over three decades, with extensive research on Cuban history, racial constructs, and the intersection of science and race in Latin America.
His educational background includes a master's degree from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Graduate School (2002) in Regional Culture and an undergraduate degree from WASEDA University Faculty of Literature (1991) in French literature. He is an active member of the Japan Association for Latin American Studies (since 2014) and the Asociación japonesa de hispanistas.
Professor Iwamura's research interests center on the history of Cuba, particularly examining the ideology of race, racial constructs in Cuban society, and the historical representation of Afro-Cubans. His scholarly work explores how race has been conceptualized in Cuban history from the colonial period through the early 20th century, with special attention to the medicalization of race, criminal anthropology, and the construction of racial identities. His publications reveal a consistent focus on how scientific discourses, particularly in medicine and anthropology, were employed to construct racial categories and justify social hierarchies in Cuban society.
His recent publications demonstrate a progression from examining early 20th century racial theories to analyzing 18th century medical concepts used to pathologize enslaved Africans. His work shows how concepts like nostalgia were medicalized as specific conditions affecting enslaved populations, serving colonial interests and contributing to racial hierarchies.
- Active researcher on Cuban racial history (2024-2008)
- Extensive fieldwork in Cuba including Universidad de La Habana
- Teaches Spanish language and interdisciplinary courses at Waseda
- Regular presenter at international conferences on Latin American studies
