1920s “bus girls,” 1950s exchange students, pioneering professors, television celebrities—Alisa Freedman researches these and other Japanese women who have quietly broken norms, boldly spoken out against oppression, and whose personal decisions have transformed international relations and universities. Due to laws, social conventions, business practices, and other factors, women have faced different choices in work and family and different access to education, jobs, and politics than people of other genders. Our Zoominar will discuss the importance of studying and recording stories by women. How can Cultural Studies dispel stereotypes, teach diversity, reveal hidden histories, and initiate activist movements?

Speakers:
• Alisa Freedman, Professor of Japanese Literature, Cultural Studies, and Gender, University of Oregon
• Ulrike Schaede, Professor and Director of the Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology, GPS UC San Diego