معرفی
Melek Ortabasi is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programming in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Simon Fraser University. She specializes in modern Japanese and German literatures, translation theory, and transnational cultural studies. Her research examines folklore, children's literature, and representations of Japan in global popular culture.
Education includes a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and MA/PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington. She has held visiting positions at Sophia University, Meiji Gakuin University, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
Research explores:
- Transnational flows in children's literature
- Translation as cultural mediation
- Folklore in contemporary Japanese media
- World literature pedagogies
Publications focus on Japanese-German literary connections and cultural translation, with recent work analyzing Italian-Japanese literary exchanges and multilingual education.
Honors include:
- Japan Foundation Research Fellowships (2021, 2007)
- SSHRC grants (2014, 2009, 2012)
- Erasmus+ EU Grant (2016)
- Alvord Humanities Fellowship (2001-2002)
As Director of the World Literature Program (2015-2019), she developed curricula bridging literary studies and translation practice. Teaches courses on Japanese popular culture, world literature, and translation studies.
