Ayako Kano
My research focuses on the intersection of gender, performance, and politics, as well as on Japanese cultural history from the late-nineteenth century to the present. My first book focused on the first generation of actresses in modern Japanese theater. My second book examines Japanese feminist debates from the 1890s to present. I have also co-edited a volume on rethinking modern Japanese feminism. Current projects include a book on cinematic adaptations of Japanese literature, and a collaborative translation project of a popular text from the early modern period.
Department of East Asian Languages & Civilizations
Wolf Humanities Center
Dr. Kano’s research focuses on the intersection of gender, performance, and politics, in the context of Japanese cultural history from the 19th century to the present. Her first book (Acting Like a Woman in Modern Japan: Theater, Gender, and Nationalism, Palgrave2001), focused on the first generation of actresses in modern Japanese theater. Her second book (Japanese Feminist Debates: A Century of Contention on Sex, Love, and Labor, University of Hawai’i Press 2016) analyzed Japanese feminist discussions from the 1890s to the present. She has also co-edited with Julia Bullock and James Welker a volume of essays reconsidering modern Japanese feminism (Rethinking Japanese Feminisms, University of Hawai’i Press 2018). Current projects include a book on cinematic adaptations of Japanese literature focusing on themes of war, sex, and belonging, and a collaborative translation project of a popular illustrated book from the early modern period.