Profile

Alisa Freedman is a Professor of Japanese Literature, Cultural Studies, and Gender at the University of Oregon. Her books include Tokyo in Transit: Japanese Culture on the Rails and Road, Japan on American TV: Screaming Samurai Join Anime Clubs in the Land of the Lost, an annotated translation of Kawabata Yasunari’s The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa, and co-edited volumes on Modern Girls on the Go: Gender, Mobility, and Labor in Japan, and Introducing Japanese Popular Culture (first and second editions). She is writing a new book on Cold-War Coeds: The Untold Story of Japanese Women Sponsored by the U.S. Military and editing Women in Japanese Studies: Memoirs from a Trailblazing Generation (forthcoming in 2023). From 2016 to 2022, she was the editor-in-chief of the U.S.-Japan Women's Journal. Alisa has published more than thirty articles on Japanese modernism, Tokyo studies, educational exchange, study abroad, youth culture, gender, television, humor as social critique, teaching pedagogies, and digital media, along with publishing translations of Japanese literature and guides to academic publishing. She also publishes articles in educational journals and blogs for general readers like The Conversation. Alisa is the Faculty Fellow for UO Housing and values her time spent working closely with students. She was the recipient of the University of Oregon 2016 Outstanding Faculty Advising Award, NACADA Award for Excellence in Faculty Advising (2017), and Excellence in Remote Teaching Award (2020 pandemic). Alisa enjoys presenting at cultural events like anime cons, TED talks, and Japan Festivals. 

If you are a prospective student interested in working with Alisa, please email her to set up an appointment to talk.