Kathi Matsuura
Although born and raised in the United States, I have spent most of my adult life in Asia - 11 years in Japan and 4 years in Hong Kong/China. The quest for new skills and academic discovery brought me back, and before coming to Yale, I earned an MA in East Asian Studies at Duke University (2010), as well as an MSLS in Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2008). Eventually, I am hoping to combine academic research with a profession as an area-subject curator at one of the major East Asian libraries.
My research interests are broadly centered on the social and cultural history of Japan. While I am currently most comfortable discussing modern Japanese history, in truth I am really an Edo period enthusiast at heart (1600-1868). Until recently, the bulk of my research has focused on the study of bereavement and grief in Japan, and the ways in which attitudes and popular discourse surrounding both infant loss and death have been shaped, altered and politicized through various social and historical contexts. As a librarian, I also have an ongoing interest and passion in the diffusion of information, print culture, and the ways in which various social networks play an intrinsic role in support of knowledge flow.
When not busy studying or struggling to read Japanese historical texts, you will likely find me hanging out with my children. Rather than keeping me tied to history and the past, they keep me grounded in the “here and now.”
