Mari Yoshihara

Mari Yoshihara is a Professor and Vice Director of the International Education Division at the University of Tokyo, specializing in American Studies, U.S. cultural history, U.S.-East Asian relations, women's/gender/sexuality studies, and musical cultures. Born in New York and raised mostly in Japan, she has a unique transnational perspective that informs her academic work.

• PhD in American Civilization, Brown University (USA)
• MA in American Civilization, Brown University (USA)
• BA in Liberal Arts (American Studies), University of Tokyo

Dr. Yoshihara's research focuses on the politics of cultural encounters, exchanges, and conflicts, with particular attention to how race, class, and gender operate within these dynamics. She conducts her scholarly work in both Japanese and English, bridging academic discourse across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Her work demonstrates a commitment to exploring how cultural encounters shape identities and power relations across national contexts.

Her publications reveal a consistent interest in transnational cultural flows, particularly examining Asian American experiences in classical music, U.S.-Japan relations, and gender dynamics in cultural production. Dr. Yoshihara's current research projects continue this trajectory, investigating Asians and Asian Americans in the changing classical music industry and the culture of piano lessons in Japan.

As an educator, she emphasizes the importance of historical knowledge, understanding of diverse societies, and language skills in the global age. She believes that encountering different norms and values is essential for understanding one's place in the world. Since 2024, she has split her time between Japan and Hawai'i after spending most of her career at the University of Hawai'i.