APPLICATION DEADLINE: Organization of American Historians Japan Residencies Program

Deadline: Applications must be submitted by October 3, 2016.

In cooperation with and support from the Japan-United States Friendship Commission, the OAH and the Japanese Association for American Studies (JAAS) plan to send two American scholars to Japanese universities for two-week residencies in the summer of 2017, pending funding. 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. We are pleased to announce the twenty-first year of the competition pending funding.

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.
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HOST INSTITUTIONS FOR 2017

Osaka University (Osaka, Japan)

Hoping for a specialist in the area such as American nationalism and race/ethnic relations in the 20th century, as well as the immigration and social/cultural history of the U.S. in the same period of time.

For two weeks: June 1 through June 14, 2017.

Osaka University was officially established in 1931 as Japan’s 6th imperial university, but its origin could trace back to the foundation of Tekijuku, a private medical academy, in 1838. Tekijuku’s motto since early modern era, “For people, for society, and for benevolence,” was passed on to Osaka University of the present. Now, Osaka University is one of the largest national universities in Japan. It consists of 16 graduate schools, 10 undergraduate faculties, and 5 research institutes. The university has about 15500 undergraduates and 8000 graduate students in total. Moreover, Osaka University is quite open to foreign academia. It holds about 600 partnerships with foreign universities such as Cornell University and University of California at Berkeley in the U.S. According to the data in 2015, Osaka University accepts more than 2000 international students and 900 researchers from abroad.

Osaka University comprises three campuses in Toyonaka, Suita and Minoh, all of which are suburbs surrounding Osaka, the largest city in the Western Japan. All of these campuses are very close one another and located within a commuting distance from the central business district of Osaka. Furthermore, Osaka is quite accessible to the Tokyo area. It takes only 156 minutes by Shinkansen train and 70 minutes by airplane to reach there. So-called Metropolis Osaka, which includes cities in the vicinity such as Toyonaka and Kyoto, is the second largest metropolitan area in Japan. It has a population of more than 12 million with a large variety of cultural backgrounds. Currently, the prefecture of Osaka reports that 204 thousand foreign citizens from 160 different countries live within its jurisdiction. The diversity of inhabitants and cultural dynamism is one of the most appealing attractions of Osaka.

Host: Professor Kotaro NAKANO
Osaka University (Osaka, Japan)
knakano@let.osaka-u.ac.jp

Professor Kotaro NAKANO received his PhD in Letters from Kyoto University. He is a recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship grant in 1998-99 (Visiting Scholar at the History Department, Northwestern University) and of Grand-in-Aid for Scientific Research (1993, 2003-2004, 2009-2016). As a social historian, his scholarly interests are in nation-making in twentieth-century America, and Immigration-labor history of the contemporary urban North. He has published several books and articles on World War I and socio/racial transformation of “Americanism.” His recent publications in English include, “How the Other Half Was Made: Perceptions of Poverty in Progressive Era Chicago,” Japanese Journal of American Studies (2011).

Rikkyo University (Tokyo, Japan)

Hoping for a specialist in social, cultural, and political history from the late 19th to the 20th century, preferably with special interest in social reform movements in the early 20th century.

For two weeks: from May 28 to June 10, 2017.

Rikkyo University is a leading liberal arts college of Japan. Since founded in Tsukiji, Tokyo, by a missionary, Channing M. Williams of the American Episcopal Church in 1874, this school has been proud to be “the academy of freedom.” At the heart of its philosophy is a willingness to go out into the world and collaborate with a great many people, to turn one’s attention to those who are socially vulnerable or beset by illnesses, handicaps, accidents or disasters, and to make every effort to realize a society where no one hurts another and everyone lives in harmony. With 20,000 enrolled students, Rikkyo University is working to further enhance and promote its initiatives world-wide. It should be noted that the Institute for American Studies, the oldest research center in Japan, has served as an academic hub since 1939.

The current hometown of Rikkyo University is Ikebukuro, a northern hub of Tokyo. As one of the most vigorous multi-cultural districts in the metropolis, Ikebukuro provides chances to see various faces of current Japan. Not surprisingly, this area offers plenty of entertainment, shopping, and dining opportunities. In recent years, for pop-culture lovers, especially fans of “anime,” this is a must destination.

Host: Professor Hiroyuki MATSUBARA
Rikkyo University (Tokyo, Japan)
hiro-m@rikkyo.ac.jp

Professor Hiro MATSUBARA received his PhD in history from University of California, Santa Cruz in 2005. His first book, The 1910s Social Hygiene Movement and the Transformation of American Political Culture(2013), received the Book Award of Women’s History Association in 2015. He specializes in the history of political culture of the United States from the late nineteenth century to the present. He now serves as the chief editor for the Japanese Association for American History.

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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 2017 OAH Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, so that they can meet with visiting Japanese scholars and graduate students and with members of the OAH/JAAS Japan Historians’ Collaborative Committee before their trips to Japan.

Applications must include the items below. Please send all materials (PDF) by midnight PST on October 3, 2016 to japanresidency@oah.org and indicate “2017 Japan Residencies Program-[UNIVERSITY NAME]” in the subject line.

■ A two-page curriculum vitae emphasizing teaching experience and publications. Also include the names and contact information of three references.

■ The institution(s) for which you would like to be considered.

■ A personal statement, no longer than two pages, describing your interest in this program and the issues that your own scholarship and teaching have addressed. Please devote one or two paragraphs to 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-U.S. academics or students. If you wish, you may comment on your particular interest in Japan.

Deadline: Applications must be submitted by October 3, 2016.

Committee Coordinator
Organization of American Historians
112 North Bryan Avenue
Bloomington IN 47408-4141
812-855-7311

http://www.oah.org/programs/residencies/japan/