Lori Watt

Dr. Lori Watt is Associate Professor of History and Global Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. Her scholarship examines 20th-century Japanese history with focus on empire dissolution, decolonization processes, and Allied-managed population transfers following World War II.

Her award-winning book When Empire Comes Home analyzes repatriation and social reintegration in postwar Japan. Current research investigates the dismantling of Japan's settler colonial project under American occupation, exploring how humanitarian efforts shaped emerging concepts of sovereignty and human rights.

Watt's work illuminates connections between decolonization, international humanitarianism, and the formation of ethno-national states. She welcomes doctoral students researching political and social history of modern Japan, particularly empire transitions and internationalism.