معرفی
Lorie Brau is an Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico, specializing in Japanese literature and culture within the Department of Languages and Cultures. She received her PhD in Performance Studies from New York University (1994) and an MA in Japanese Literature from the University of Michigan (1980). Her academic journey includes rigorous training at the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies (1977) and pedagogy education at Columbia University (1994).
Her research focuses on Japanese cultural heritage through rakugo (comic storytelling), food culture in manga, and theatrical traditions. She became a disciple of rakugo master Kokontei Engiku, blending ethnographic practice with performance. Her 2008 book Rakugo: Performing Comedy and Cultural Heritage in Contemporary Tokyo established her as a key scholar in this field. Current work includes Gourmanga: Reading Food in Japanese Comic Books, analyzing culinary narratives in manga.
Her publications span interdisciplinary themes:
- 2017 - Fukushima disaster analysis in food manga
- 2016 - Food symbolism in rakugo and shōgekijō (postmodern theatre)
- 2004 - Rakugo fan communities and food identity in comics
She teaches Japanese language courses (JAPN 201, 320) and interdisciplinary classes on:
- Pre-modern Japanese literature
- Supernatural folklore
- Gender in popular culture
- Asian theatre traditions
Brau advises students in the Japanese minor and directs the East Asian Studies major, maintaining active engagement with both academic and performance aspects of Japanese culture.
