Mats Karlsson

Dr. Mats Karlsson is a Senior Lecturer at The University of Sydney, specializing in modern Japanese fiction, comparative literature, and Japanese cinema. His research explores socio-cultural aspects of contemporary Japan, with a focus on the Proletarian Cultural Movement and High-Growth Era cinema. He holds a BA and PhD from Stockholm University. Teaching includes courses on Japanese cinema, literature, and cultural studies such as ASNS3616, ICLS2634, JPNS3622, and JPNS3632.

• Education: BA and PhD, Stockholm University

Research interests include Japanese cinema's portrayal of socio-economic changes during the 1950s–60s High-Growth Era and re-examining grassroots achievements of the Proletarian Cultural Movement. Recent publications analyze labor themes in Kinoshita Keisuke’s films and ideological shifts in 1930s proletarian literature.

Publications span journals like Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema and Journal of Japanese Studies, with a monograph on Nakagami Kenji’s works. His work bridges film studies, literary history, and cultural sociology, often addressing class dynamics and cultural identity.