Michele Marie Mason

Michele Marie Mason is an Associate Professor of Modern Japanese Cultural Studies and Director of the Japanese Program at the University of Maryland. She holds affiliations with Women’s Studies, Film Studies, and Comparative Literature. Her research focuses on colonialism, nuclear studies, gender, and East Asian cultural studies. She earned her Ph.D. in Modern Japanese Literature from the University of California, Irvine (2005), with prior degrees from UCLA and the University of Oregon.

• Education: Ph.D. (2005), UC Irvine; M.A. (1995), UCLA; B.A. (1989), University of Oregon

Her research explores modern Japanese literature, postcolonial studies, and nuclear memory. Notable works include Dominant Narratives of Colonial Hokkaido (2012) and co-editing Reading Colonial Japan (2012). She investigates atomic bomb narratives in manga and literature, environmental humanities, and gender studies. Current projects include The Legacy of Neglected Nagasaki and a collaborative environmental humanities study on nuclear activism with Dr. Hester Baer.

She teaches courses such as Atomic Bombings in Literature and Memory and Critical Theory and Japanese Cinema. Her documentary film Witness to Hiroshima (2008) highlights survivor testimonies and environmental advocacy.

• Research Collaborations: Nuclear Futures in the Post-Fukushima Age (2019); Environmental Humanities Project (2019–present)
• Grants/Funding: Japan Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship (2005–2007)

She leads interdisciplinary initiatives bridging literature, film, and activism, emphasizing global perspectives on Japanese culture and history.