Kunisuke Hirano - Appointed in AY2023

It's difficult to describe in a single phrase because I've dealt with various themes since my university days, but I feel the expression "minorities and social life" fits well. I myself often had trouble fitting into group life, such as at school, and I frequently thought about aspects of individuals and groups who experience oppression or discomfort in a given society, the influence of culture and society on individual thought and behavior, and the potential for individual uniqueness to change the environment.

During the summer of my third year of university, while staying in the United States, I learned about the history of Japanese American incarceration and the presence of Asian Americans in American society, which sparked my interest. After that, I started reading books in English and learned that there was a career option to conduct research in English with Japan as the subject. I was also reluctant to work for a company, so I decided to try researching and living in the United States for a while. Another attraction was that American Doctoral Programs offered substantial financial aid and research funding for graduate students. After some twists and turns, I decided to try my hand in the field of Japanese Studies in English. I believe that research themes are always found in everyday life.

For my doctoral dissertation, I conducted fieldwork at an unusual school in Japan (alternative education) and analyzed how students build relationships and participate in school life in a place created by people who share a sense of unease with so-called "normal" education.

As a native of Japan conducting Japanese studies in English, it is rewarding to be at the forefront of knowledge production about Japan while being conscious of the differences between outside and inside perspectives (although simple binary thinking like uchi-soto is not good). Recently, I have also been working on the theme of how the experience of train travel in Tokyo affects individual thought patterns and behavior. Regarding urban transportation and individual life, research has advanced considerably in English using an anthropological approach.

Japanese studies in the English-speaking world has a historical accumulation, and many researchers visit Japan for their investigations. However, it is not necessarily the case that research conducted in Japanese on Japan is widely referenced among such researchers. To put it extremely, depending on the field, it is sometimes possible to become a leading expert on a Japan-related topic by referencing only works written in English. I also find it rewarding to work on bridging this gap between research in the English-speaking and Japanese-speaking worlds.

I almost had to repeat a year after failing my second foreign language (which was Spanish), which I chose because it seemed easy. My attendance in mandatory English was barely passing due to oversleeping, and I skipped or didn't pay much attention in other classes, resulting in poor grades. As a result, I couldn't get into my desired department in my third year. It feels like an ironic twist of fate that I am now a faculty member, and I think about this every time I record attendance on K-LMS... But all that aside, it's better to study languages while you're young. I started learning Korean in my thirties (it was a graduation requirement for my Ph.D. at the University of Michigan), and during my study abroad in Korea, I envied the progress of my classmates in their teens and twenties. Youth is fleeting, so without getting caught up in things like cost-performance, I think it's good to find something you can devote yourself to—anything—and discover hints that could lead to a career.