معرفی
Shigeru Suzuki is an Associate Professor in the Department of Modern Languages & Comparative Literature at the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY). His academic work bridges Japanese studies, comics/manga scholarship, and comparative literature, with a particular focus on the cultural, political, and aesthetic dimensions of Japanese visual narratives.
Dr. Suzuki's educational background includes:
- Ph.D. in Literature from the University of California Santa Cruz
- Coursework completed in English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State University
- M.A. in English and American Literature from Meiji University, Tokyo
- B.A. in Creative Writing & Japanese Literature from Waseda University, Tokyo
Professor Suzuki's research interests span manga/comics studies, Japanese popular culture, transmedia practices, gekiga (Japanese alternative comics), posthumanism, science fiction, and Japanese counterculture of the 1960s. His work examines how visual narratives engage with historical trauma, social critique, and cultural politics, with particular attention to post-3/11 disaster narratives, representations of disability, and alternative community formations. He approaches manga as a serious medium of cultural expression that transcends national boundaries and artistic categories, analyzing how medium-specific qualities enable unique forms of storytelling.
His scholarly output reveals consistent engagement with Japanese comics as sites of cultural negotiation and political commentary. His publications trace manga's evolution from 1960s gekiga counterculture to contemporary digital platforms, examining how visual narratives address historical memory, disaster, disability, and cross-cultural exchange. A recurring theme is the medium-specific qualities of comics and how they challenge conventional boundaries between high and popular culture across national contexts.
Dr. Suzuki has received numerous research and travel awards that have supported his scholarly work:
- The Dean's Office Summer Travel Grant (2016)
- The Japan Foundation New York Grants for Arts and Culture (2016, 2014)
- PSC-CUNY Research Award (2015)
- Harvard-Yenching Library Travel Grant Award (2013)
- The William Stewart Travel Award (2012)
- The Faculty Scholarship and Creative Achievement Award (2011)
Professor Suzuki has been actively involved in organizing academic events including the "Alt-Manga Symposium" and "World of Shojo Manga" exhibition at Baruch College. His current research focuses on Japanese alternative comics (gekiga) as important visual/counterculture movements in 1960s Japan, exploring how these works challenged mainstream narratives and created spaces for political and aesthetic experimentation. He has contributed significantly to establishing manga studies as a legitimate academic field through his publications, conference presentations, and editorial work.
