Alisa Freedman

Alisa Freedman is a Professor of Japanese Literature, Cultural Studies, and Gender at the University of Oregon and Editor-in-Chief of the U.S.-Japan Women's Journal.

Her books include "Japan on American TV: Screaming Samurai Form Anime Clubs in the Land of the Lost," "Tokyo in Transit: Japanese Culture on the Rails and Road," 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."

She is writing a new book on "Cold-War Coeds: The Untold Story of Japanese Women Sponsored by the U.S. Military" and is helping to archive the personal stories of trailblazing women in Japanese Studies. She has published more than 25 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.

Alisa is a Faculty Fellow for University of Oregon residence halls 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).

Her Conversation article represents a strand of her research on how culture flows between the United States and Japan. Her study of Cup Noodles dovetails with her studies on how Japanese emoji diversified in the United States and how American Sesame Street commercialized in Japan.

Alisa enjoys presenting at cultural events like anime cons, TED talks, and Japan Festivals.