I am a cultural anthropologist. Personal research interests of mine include education, social change, individual strategy-making, life history, and class in Japan and Korea. I am broadly interested in the minority and social life in Japan, Korea, and U.S.
Currently, I am a tenured assistant professor at Keio University, Japan. I have taught English, cross-cultural communication, and anthropology in Japan and the United States.
My research explores alternative education in Japan, that is, schools in Japan that offer nontraditional curricula. More specifically, I plan to investigate how school policies are made, what kind of skill/knowledge are offered in those schools, and what parents expect by sending their children there. I am also interested in how those schools in Japan help to establish alternative way of living for their alumni in (or out of) Japanese society.
Currently, I am a tenured assistant professor at Keio University, Japan. I have taught English, cross-cultural communication, and anthropology in Japan and the United States.
My research explores alternative education in Japan, that is, schools in Japan that offer nontraditional curricula. More specifically, I plan to investigate how school policies are made, what kind of skill/knowledge are offered in those schools, and what parents expect by sending their children there. I am also interested in how those schools in Japan help to establish alternative way of living for their alumni in (or out of) Japanese society.
I am originally from Tokyo, Japan and spent 28 years there. I have lived in Boston for two and a half years teaching Japanese in three of the city's universities. Then I spent a year in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Virginia.
Before coming to the United States, I was involved in the testing design for the Japanese civil service examination.
I was based in the U.S. from 2011 to 2018, and briefly returned to the states in early 2020. It was unfortunate that I had to leave the U.S. unexpectedly due to COVID-19. I submitted my dissertation in August 2021, and my dissertation chair was Allison Alexy.
My educational background includes a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, an M.A. from Boston University in Applied Anthropology, an M.A. in Cultural Anthropology, and a B.A. in Japanese Language & Literature, both from the University of Tokyo.
After entering an Asian Studies department, I started studying Korean language, and incorporated a case study of Zainichi Koreans' education in my dissertation. I also served as a committee member of 6th International Conference of NextGen Korean Studies Scholars.
I also had an opportunity to study Korean at Yonsei University Korean Language Institute, and become a visiting researcher at the Institute of Cross-cultural Studies at Seoul National University.
Before coming to the United States, I was involved in the testing design for the Japanese civil service examination.
I was based in the U.S. from 2011 to 2018, and briefly returned to the states in early 2020. It was unfortunate that I had to leave the U.S. unexpectedly due to COVID-19. I submitted my dissertation in August 2021, and my dissertation chair was Allison Alexy.
My educational background includes a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, an M.A. from Boston University in Applied Anthropology, an M.A. in Cultural Anthropology, and a B.A. in Japanese Language & Literature, both from the University of Tokyo.
After entering an Asian Studies department, I started studying Korean language, and incorporated a case study of Zainichi Koreans' education in my dissertation. I also served as a committee member of 6th International Conference of NextGen Korean Studies Scholars.
I also had an opportunity to study Korean at Yonsei University Korean Language Institute, and become a visiting researcher at the Institute of Cross-cultural Studies at Seoul National University.
I like to swim, work out, and hang out in cafes. I also like trains.
My CV is here.
Featured in University of Michigan's Asian Languages and Cultures department website. (05/2016)
My article "The Shifting Boundary of Minority Identities: The Japanese American Citizens League and Same-sex Marriage" was featured by An Annotated Bibliography of Books, DVDs, and Internet Resources on GLBT Asian-Americans created by American Library Association.
My CV is here.
Featured in University of Michigan's Asian Languages and Cultures department website. (05/2016)
My article "The Shifting Boundary of Minority Identities: The Japanese American Citizens League and Same-sex Marriage" was featured by An Annotated Bibliography of Books, DVDs, and Internet Resources on GLBT Asian-Americans created by American Library Association.
© 2014 Kunisuke Hirano