Awards / International Residencies

Japan Residencies Program

Supporting American scholars' short-term residencies in Japan. This program is supported by funding from the Japan-US Friendship Commission.


Overview

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 1, 2023

NOTE: THIS PROGRAM IS PENDING FUNDING FOR 2023-24

In cooperation with and support from the Japan-United States Friendship Commission, the OAH and the Japanese Association for American Studies (JAAS)—pending funding—plan to send two American scholars to Japanese universities for two-week residencies in June of 2024.

The committee seeks applications from OAH members who are established American scholars affiliated with an American or Canadian university interested in teaching advanced undergraduates and graduate students in seminars and courses focusing on the US History topics requested by the host institutions.

During their residencies, the American historians give at least six lectures and/or seminars in English in their specialty. They also meet individually and in groups with Japanese scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate students studying American history and culture, and participate in the collegial life of their host institutions. The purpose of this exchange program is to facilitate scholarly dialogue and contribute to the expansion of scholarly networks among students and professors of American history in both countries.

A Portion of Round-trip airfare to Japan, housing, and modest daily expenses are covered by the award (note: if the host university is unable to provide housing, award recipients are expected to use the daily stipend to pay hotel expenses). Award winners are also encouraged to explore Japan before or after their two-week residency at their own expense.

Host Universities

Kyoritsu Women’s University
Residency Term: May 30 to June 12, 2024

Host: Prof. Ayako Sahara
Research interests: Transpacific history; US immigration history; ethnic studies; critical refugee studies; Asian-American history; gender, race, and class in the 20th Century United States; histories of US militarism in Asia.

Kyoritsu Women’s University is looking for a specialist in the history of immigration in the United States in the 20th century, preferably from a transpacific/transnational perspective. If an applicant’s research interest also includes gender, sexuality, class, race, and racism, she/he/they will be doubly welcomed.

Kyoritsu Women’s University was founded in 1886 as Kyoritsu Women’s Vocational School to improve women’s social status in Japan to help them become independent women. Kyoritsu Women’s University is one of Japan’s leading private women’s universities with six undergraduate and four graduate schools and an enrollment of approximately 5,000 undergrad students. Our department has Global Studies in English Program, where students earn half of their credits in classes only taught in English.             

Its campus is in Jinbōchō, Tokyo, a popular area for booklovers and intellectuals, with numerous bookstores, cafes, and restaurants. It is in the heart of Tokyo, a walkable distance from Tokyo station, and has excellent access to major stations such as Shinjuku and Shibuya. It is also close to the Imperial Palace and Kitanomaru Garden, originally a part of Edo Castle and now a park with beautiful trees and flowers. There are three museums, the National Museum of Modern Art, the Science Museum, and the Crafts Gallery, an annex of the National Museum of Modern Art, within the park.




Kyoto University of Foreign Studies
Residency Term: June 1 to June 14, 2024

Host: Professor Yutaka Sasaki
Research Interests: American political/diplomatic history in the Cold War period; US-Japan relations; international relations in East Asia; the role of private scholarly organizations in knowledge production of the social sciences; peace studies; modern America in general.

Kyoto University of Foreign Studies welcomes a specialist in modern American history with a focus on diplomatic/political history after the Second World War. If the applicant’s research interests include US-Japan relations as well as the international relations in East Asia during the latter half of the twentieth century, such research interests and specialization would greatly be welcomed.

Kyoto University of Foreign Studies (KUFS) was founded in 1947 in Kyoto. The school motto is Pax Mundi Per Linguas (“World Peace through Language Learning”), which reflects the founder’s determination to promote world peace by learning foreign languages in the wake of the devastation caused by WWII. 

KUFS is a middle-sized institution of higher education, consisting of the Faculty of Foreign Studies and the Faculty of Global Engagement, with a total student enrollment of approximately 5,000. While there are two departments, i.e., the Department of Global Studies and the Department of Global Tourism, in the Faculty of Global Engagement, the Faculty of Foreign Studies is composed of six departments, including the Department of British and American Studies. The Department of British and American Studies places emphasis not only on the English language learning, but also on area studies of the Anglo-American world.            

Situated in the western part of the city of Kyoto, the cultural center of Japan, KUFS provides visitors with easy access to a variety of historic sites (including ancient temples and shrines) as well as to old districts of the city of Kyoto, now the hustling and bustling places filled with tourists from all over the world.

How to Apply

Applicants must be members of the OAH, have a PhD, and be scholars of American history. Applicants from previous competitions are welcome to apply again. Award winners are expected to attend the OAH Conference on American History so that they can meet with visiting Japanese scholars and graduate students and with members of the OAH-JAAS Japan Collaborative Committee before their trips to Japan.

One complete copy of each application clearly labeled “Japan Residencies Program – [HOST UNIVERSITY NAME],” must be emailed directly to [email protected] by 11:59pm (PST) on October 1, 2023. If you are applying to both residencies, a separate application must be submitted for each.

To apply, the submit the following items in one PDF document and in the following order:

  • A 2-page curriculum vitae emphasizing teaching experience and publications.
  • The institution for which you would like to be considered.
  • A personal statement, no longer than 2 pages, describing your interest in this program and the issues that your own scholarship and teaching have addressed. One to two paragraphs should be devoted to explaining why you understand this residency to be central to your development as a scholar in the world community. You may include comments on any previous collaboration or work with non-US academics or students, and/or on your particular interest in Japan.

Each application must also include a letter of recommendation, to be solicited by the applicant, that address the applicant’s scholarship and teaching skills. The letter should be sent directly by the recommender to [email protected], with the subject line of “Recommendation for [NAME OF APPLICANT].”

Past Award Recipients

Visit the JAAS website to view a list of recipients including their fields of study.

2022

Erik Loomis, University of Rhode Island
Host: Shuhei Minami, Senshu University, Tokyo

Farina King, Northeastern State University
Host: Madoka Sato, Otsuma Women’s University, Tokyo

2021

Postponed due to the COVID-19

2020

Postponed due to the COVID-19

2019

Renee Romano, Oberlin College
Host: Shuichi Takebayashi, Tohoku University, Miyagi

Elliott Young, Lewis and Clark College
Host: Yoko Tsukuda, Seijo University, Tokyo

2018

Katherine Benton-Cohen, Georgetown University
Host: Shiori Ichimasa, Yuki Oda, Chuo University, Tokyo

Bethel Saler, Haverford College
Host: Takeo Mori, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka

2017

Jana K. Lipman, Tulane University
Host: Kotaro Nakano, Osaka University, Osaka

Lisa McGirr, Harvard University
Host: Hiroyuki Matsubara, Rikkyo University, Tokyo

2016

Neil Foley, Southern Methodist University
Host: Takahiro Sasaki, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo

Madeline Y. Hsu, University of Texas at Austin
Host: Manako Ogawa, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto

2015

Kevin C. Murphy, University of the Sciences
Host: Masaharu Yasuoka, Kobe University

Greg Robinson, Université du Québec À Montréal
Host: Takashi Aso, Waseda University, Tokyo

2014

Grace Elizabeth Hale, University of Virginia
Host: Hideo Tsuji, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo

Amy Sueyoshi, San Francisco State University
Host: Ikue Kina, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa

2013

Bryant Simon, Temple University
Host: Ichiro Miyata, Saitama University, Saitama

Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Ohio State University
Host: Rumi Yasutake, Konan University, Hyogo

2012

Catherine Ceniza Choy, University of California, Berkeley
Host: Yoshiyuki Kido, Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo

Scott Laderman, University of Minnesota, Duluth
Host: Yuka Tsuchiya, Ehime University, Ehime

Danielle L. McGuire, Wayne State University
Host: Yasumasa Fujinaga, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi

2011

Deborah Dash Moore, University of Michigan
Host: Miyuki Kita, University of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka

2010

Mark Dyreson, Pennsylvania State University
Host: Kohei Kawashima, Musashi University, Tokyo

Ariela J.Gross, University of Southern California
Host: Yasuko Takezawa, Kyoto University, Kyoto

2009

Glenn T. Eskew, Georgia State University
Host: Akiyo Okuda, Keio University, Tokyo

Anna Pegler-Gordon, Michigan State University
Host: Akiyo Yamamoto, Nagoya City University, Aichi

2008

Elaine H. Kim, University of California, Berkeley
Host: Fukuko Kobayashi, Waseda University, Tokyo

Gary Y. Okihiro, Columbia University
Host: Katsunori Yamazato, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa

2007

Kathryn Kish Sklar, State University of New York, Binghamton
Host: Rui Kohiyama, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University, Tokyo

Thomas J. Sugrue, University of Pennsylvania
Host: Masaki Kawashima, Nanzan University, Aichi

Paul R. Spickard, University of California, Santa Barbara
Host: Miyuki Yonezawa, Tokai University, Kanagawa

2006

Donald L. Fixico, Arizona State University
Host: Juri Abe, Rikkyo University, Tokyo

Leo P. Ribuffo, The George Washington University
Host: Juro Otsuka, Sophia University, Tokyo

2005

Sara Evans, University of Minnesota
Host: Fusako Ogata, Tezukayama University, Nara

Kim E. Nielsen, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay
Host: Kazuto Oshio, Japan Women’s University, Tokyo

Christopher Jespersen, North Georgia College and State University
Host: Koji Terachi, Kyoritsu Women’s University, Tokyo

2004

Thomas L. Haskell, Rice University
Host: Naoki Onishi, International Christian University, Tokyo

Robert J. McMahon, University of Florida
Host: Hideki Kan, Kyushu University, Fukuoka

Kurt Piehler, The University of Tennessee
Host: Ryo Yokoyama, Kobe University, Hyogo

2003

John M. Findlay, University of Washington
Host: Masaru Okamoto, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima

Theresa Kaminski, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Host: Eiichi Akimoto, Chiba University, Chiba

Michael Schudson, University of California, San Diego
Host: Takashi Sasaki, Doshisha University, Kyoto

2002

Davison M. Douglas, William and Mary School of Law
Host: Koji Takenaka, Tohoku University, Miyagi

David Farber, University of New Mexico
Host: Fumiaki Kubo, Keio University, Tokyo

Beth Bailey, University of New Mexico
Host: Naoko Sugiyama, Saitama University, Saitama

2001

Judith Stein, The City University of New York
Host: Satoshi Nakano, Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo

James Barrett, University of Illinois
Host: Takeshi Matsuda, Osaka University of Foreign Studies, Osaka

Katherine G. Aiken, University of Idaho
Host: Juri Abe, Rikkyo University, Tokyo

2000

Mary Logan Rothschild, Arizona State University
Host: Noriko Shimada, Japan Women’s University, Tokyo

Mary L. Dudziak, University of Southern California School of Law
Host: Jun Furuya, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido

Michael A. Bernstein, University of California, San Diego
Host: Kazuyuki Matsuo, Sophia University, Tokyo

1999

Casey Blake, Washington University-St. Louis
Host: Fumiko Fujita, Tsuda College, Tokyo

Valerie Matsumoto, University of California, Los Angeles
Host: Yoshiko Takita, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo

Robert Brent Toplin, University of North Carolina, Wilmington
Host: Koji Ooi, Kwansei Gakuin University, Hyogo

1998

Hamilton Cravens, Iowa State University
Host: Misako Koike, Tohoku University, Miyagi

Eileen Boris, University of Virginia
Host: Hiroko Sato, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University, Tokyo

Robert Goldberg, University of Utah
Host: Masahiro Nakano, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto

1997

Lynn Dumenil, Occidental College
Host: Takeshi Kondo, International Christian University, Tokyo

John W. Chambers, Rutgers University
Host: Faculty of Law, The University of Tokyo, ,Tokyo

Joan Jacobs Brumberg, Cornell University
Host: Takashi Sasaki, Doshisha University, Kyoto