Kimberly Kono

Kimberly Kono is Professor of Japanese Language & Literature and Chair of East Asian Languages & Cultures at Smith College. She teaches modern Japanese language, literature, and culture, with research focusing on Japanese colonial literature, feminist theory, postcolonial theory, and travel writing.

Education

• Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
• M.A., University of California, Berkeley
• B.A., University of California, Berkeley

Her scholarly work examines the intersection of romance, family, and national identity in Japanese colonial contexts (Taiwan, Korea, Manchuria), with additional interests in Japanese popular culture and gender studies. She has published extensively on these topics in Smith ScholarWorks.

Recent publications include Passing and Posing in Colonial Manchuria (2023), analyzing ethnic identity and mixed-race experiences in Murō Saisei's work, and Collaborative Curricular Initiatives (2018), exploring integrated pedagogical approaches in Japanese language and literature instruction.