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Japanese/Chinese

Sears Eldredge

Asian Theatre

Dramatic Arts and Dance Department

Eldredge teaches a course on traditional and modern theatres of India, China and Japan. He is conducting extensive research on World War II prison camps in Thailand and the theatre produced by POWs in the camps. As a result of his research, Eldredge recently wrote and produced the play, Return to Kanburi, based on the reconciliation between a British POW and his Japanese translator during World War II.

Jerry Fisher

Japan and East Asia/Communication Technology

Communication and Media Studies/History Departments

Fisher is knowledgeable about the history, culture and politics of Japan, where he lives and works part-time. He specializes in the influence of new communication technology. He is the general manager (Asian Region) for the Hubbard Broadcasting Group.

Karen Nakamura

Japanese Social Movements

Anthropology Department

As as a sociocultural anthropologist, Nakamura's work focuses on minority social movements in contemporary Japan as well as gender and sexuality issues in the country. She is currently researching alternative women's sexuality and popular culture in Japan. For example, she is a resource on Japanimation and Manga. In addition, Nakamura specializes in sign language and deaf identity issues in the U.S. and Japan.

Wang Ping

Chinese Footbinding

English Department

A native of China, Wang is an acclaimed author, editor and translator. Her newest book on the history and culture of footbinding in China is called Aching For Beauty. Other publications include a novel, Foreign Devil, a collection of short stories, American Visa, a collection of poetry, Of Flesh and Spirit and an anthology she edited and helped to translate called New Generation: Poetry from China Today. Ping teaches courses in creative writing.

Sarah Pradt

Women Writers/Film/Popular Culture

Pradt directs the college's Asian Studies Program. Her research focuses on postwar Japanese women writers, Western images of Japanese culture and Japanese film. Her new book, Representations of AIDS in Japanese Public Culture, will soon be released. Pradt teaches courses in Japanese language, film and literature.

Satoko Suzuki

Linguistics

Suzuki directs the Japanese Language Program, specializing in Japanese linguistics. She has published several articles in the Journal of Pragmatics and other publications on the relationship between activity and complementizers, discourse analysis and other subjects.

Yue-him Tam

Chinese and Japanese History/Hong Kong

History Department

Tam specializes in the history of China and Japan. He is currently working on the intellectual development of modern Japan and cultural interactions in modern East Asia, including Sino-Japanese relations. He is also a resource on Hong Kong and the transfer of power from Great Britain to China. Tam considers Hong Kong home and remains well connected with government, legislative and other leaders in both Hong Kong and China. Tam has published several books, including Hong Kong and Japan: Growing Cultural and Economic Interactions, 1845-1987, and Studies in Modern Sino-Japanese Cultural Relations. He publishes in Chinese, Japanese and English. Tam also serves on several national and international organizations including the Global Alliance for Preserving the History of World War II in Asia and the Pacific and the Chinese Association for Japanese Historical Studies.

Marie Thorsten

Japan/U.S.-Japan Relations

International Studies and Programming

Thorsten specializes in Japanese social thought, U.S.-Japan relations, global and cultural studies, and human rights and humanitarianism. She is the author of Beyond the Line: Joseph Dodge and the Geometry of Power in U.S.-Japan Relations, 1949-1952. She is working on another book called Romancing the Bubble: The Political Science Fiction of U.S.-Japan Relations During the Trade Friction Era. In addition, she can discuss issues surrounding Japanese and American World War II reconciliation efforts, economic nationalism and post-war Japan.

Jack Weatherford

Mongolia/Genghis Khan

Anthropology Department

Weatherford has recently been conducting research in Mongolia. He has written articles and been interviewed about the history and legacy of Genghis Khan for the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Discovery Channel. He is also an expert on the history and culture of money as well as the cultures and issues of indigenous peoples around the globe, including Native Americans.