Research and Teaching

My research is largely informed by my my multicultural background, and I focus on finding comminalities and links between the cultures of the West and Japan, with a particular emphasis on French literary encounters with, and representations of, Japan. I believe that France is the ideal country through which to examine cultual contact with Japan, due in large part to the unique relationship between both countries in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Working with such disparate languages and civilizations lends itself naturally to an interdisciplinary approach to my work. My research touches on and integrates areas such as art history, music and performance studies, geo-political relations, post-colonial/national image and cultural studies. I am particularly interested in the work of Pierre Loti, whose novel, Madame Chrysantheme, (1887) likely served as the inspiration for Puccini's opera, Madama Butterfly. All of my research projects up to this point have been self-financed.

I am currently working on a mansucript for a book entitled The Japan of Pierre Loti: How One Man Forever Influenced the Image of Japan in Western Minds. The book traces the evolution of Pierre Loti's image of Japan, from its stereotype laden, japonisme and japonaiserie influenced vision in Madame Chrysanthemum to that of a rapidly modernizing, rising military power in Madame Prune and the legacy of this image on contemporary Western perceptions of Japan. Framing the Pierre Loti story are a description of Western perceptions of Japan prior to Loti, and the legacy of Loti's works on contemporary perceptions of Japan.

This project represents several years of archival research across two continents, including the following:

July, 2012. Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture (Nagasaki Rekishi Bunka Hakubutsukan) and the City Museum of Nagasaki (Nagasaki Shi-ritsu Hakubutsukan). Nagasaki City, Japan.

July, 2010. Maison de Pierre Loti, Archives Municipales de la Ville de Rochefort and the Service Historique de la Defense/Musee Maritime. Rochefort, France.

My second manuscript, being drafted simultaneously, focuses on the Japanese experience during World War II. Tentatively titled Transplanted Chrysanthemums, it tells the story of my family's journey, from their initial arrival in the United States as export merchants, to the patriarch's abrupt decision to return to Japan prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, to life in Japan during the War, and the post-war experience. Illustrated with family photographs, heirlooms, and letters, this project is both a personal and academic journey.