Faculty

Japanese History
Early Modern Japanese History

Early modern society is, so to speak, the traditional society as a premise of our modern society. I study this period by focusing on Buddhism and call this theme “religious and social history.“
I started by investigating the relationship of local people and the Buddhist ideas of salvation. In recent years, I have considered the relationship of Buddhist confessions and lords in the shogunate system (i.e., the relationship of church and state in early modern Japan). I also have an interest in the orders of Shinto deities and Buddhas.

Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuropsychology, Psychophysiology, Cognitive Psychology

I am currently involved in cognitive neuroscience studies of human emotion, memory, and social interactions using various approaches including neuropsychology, functional neuroimaging, and psychophysiology.

Ethics
History of Ethics, Metaphysics, Modern Ethics, Immanuel Kant's Philosophy

I am interested in topics situated at the intersection of metaphysics and ethics, mainly, but not exclusively in Kant. These topics include the multifaceted debate on free will and determinism, the question of objectivity and realism in ethics, Kant’s transcendental idealism and his approach to moral philosophy, as well as the conception of natural practical law in Aquinas and Scotus. Currently, I am working on a monograph on the relevance of Luis de Molina's thought for Kant’s theoretical and practical philosophy. Molina is a 16th century Scholastic philosopher and theologian, and in my opinion, Kant's revolutionary ideas about free will are to a large extent inspired by this remarkable predecessor of his.

English and American Literature
American Literature, Women's Literature, Gender Studies

My main research interest is in women’s fiction in 19th-century American literature, as well as gender and sexuality issues. Currently I am also interested in the influence of American culture and literature on Japanese shojo culture from the Meiji period through the 1970s.

French Literature
Modern French Literature(Marcel Proust)

My main research topic is the work of Marcel Proust. I am also interested in the comparative study of Proust with André Gide and Paul Bourget on the question of what it means for writers of this time to be read by their readers.

English and American Literature
History, American Studies, History of Children and Childhood, Legal History, Law and the Humanities

Yukako Otori is a writer with research specialties in the historical development of ideas and practices concerning childhood. She is currently Associate Professor of English and the Humanities at Keio University. Previously she earned her doctorate in history at Harvard University and taught at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Her current book project, tentatively titled Future Citizens? Childhood and Citizenship at the US Border, illuminates the intersection of child protection and border control during the Progressive Era.

Psychology
Developmental Psychology

I am studying the development and mental health of infants. I am also interested in the psychology of games and gambling.

Japanese Literature
History of Japanese Writing Systems, Digital Humanities

Okada’s research focuses on structural changes in the Japanese writing system, especially those after the Meiji period. He also has a keen interest in utilising digital methods and data for Japanese linguistics.

Natural Sciences
Catalytic Chemistry, Porous Materials

Inorganic porous materials such as zeolites are widely used as solid catalysts and adsorbents. Controlling shapes and structures of the porous materials forms new functions. I am developing porous materials with new shapes and new structures such as hollow and rattle-type structures, and developing new usages such as solid catalysts and adsorbents with high performance, vessels for controlled release and microreactors.

Japanese Literature
Medieval Literature, Waka Poetry (31-Syllable Verse)

I'm studying the Japanese classics that cover the period from the 11th to 17th century. My main interest is Waka, a style of Japanese poetry with a 31-syllable verse, and Yusokukojitsu, principles and precedents on manners, rituals and costumes for the ancient and medieval Japanese Imperial court. In my study, I try to focus on the context and its background of where the works were composed.

Sociology
Sociology of Life, Life Story Research

My basic theme is the "sociology of life," centered on life story research. I have been interested in existential life generated from pathos experiences, encounters, and dialogues, and have been thinking about the state of contemporary society and way of life as back-illuminated by these experiences. In recent years, I have been following the practices of how non-Hibakusha (non-experiencers) can be involved in and pass on the A-bomb experiences as "their own thing," while considering the possibilities of communication and continuity of life, inheritance of memory, and social solidarity in these experiences.

Japanese Literature
Japanese Modern Literature

In order to explain how gender hierarchy had been constructed and justified in the modern Japanese literature, I am researching novels by female authors, literary works contributed to editorial magazines, discourses concerned with culture, and theater arts.

Human Sciences
Sociological Theory, Mathematical Sociology, Quantitative Sociology

I am interested in explaining macroscopic social phenomena such as institutions, social norms, and social change, using rational choice theory and game theory. I am also interested in theoretical and empirical research on social justice including social stratification and redistribution.

Natural Sciences
Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry

Chemical Biology: My research themes include molecular imaging and molecular design for pharmaceuticals.

Sociology
Cultural Anthropology, Religious Sociology, Science of Religion

My research theme is to clarify the historical phase of religiosity and spirituality in the modern world from a macro viewpoint, and to construct general theory of meditation from a micro viewpoint. Concretely, my speciality is comparative research on meditation theories including zen, the ki-energy practice of taoism, vipassana meditation (mindfulness), yoga, and spiritual exercise. I have conducted fieldwork in Japan, Korea, and in Europe, focusing on France and Overseas France. Constructing a meditation theory, I also study inter-religious dialogue and contemporary religious culture.

Philosophy
Philosophy of Action, Contemporary Metaphysics

My main research areas are in the philosophy of action, the philosophy of mind and rationality, the philosophy of language, and contemporary metaphysics (including event ontology, philosophy of time, and the study of the nature of values). Recently I have been interested in the problem of the relationship between time and rationality in the context of human actions or lives, and also interested in questions about death.

French Literature
Literature and Theatre During the Classical Period, Comparative Fairy Tales

My research has been focused on questions of theatre and reflexivity, which include social mimesis and theatrical mimesis and representations of femininity. Another interest I have kept since childhood has led me to study folklore in literature, in particular magical mentalities in folktales, implications of the "supernatural wife (husband)" motif (AT 400-459), and media mix strategy of the fantasy industry, with a particular emphasis on the question of shared cultural and affective experience across generations.

German Literature
Medieval German Literature, Female Christian Mysticism

My research focuses on literature in the medieval German-speaking world. I am particularly interested in female mysticism. Using the phenomenology of philosopher and sociologist Alfred Schutz, I study the structure of experience and action as it appears in the texts of religious women.

Asian History
Social History of Modern Middle East, and History of Modern Arab Societies

Focusing on the society of modern Egypt, I have studied the mutual transformation of Middle Eastern societies and the modern institution such as prisons. Now, I'm working on research about public health and agricultural development in 20th-century Egypt.

English and American Literature
American Literature, Canadian Literature

I am hopefully trying to grasp the historically complicated cross-hybridity of American literature and Canadian literature. This primary interest has developed into another direction: cultural transactions across the Pacific. I am especially interested in cultural exchanges between the U.S., Canada and Japan. I also have to confess my fascination with kappa, or a Japanese water sprite.

Aesthetics and Science of Arts
Western Art History

My major field is the history of the Italian architecture in the 16th and 17th centuries, especially that of Florence and Rome. I am also interested in the prints and sculpture of the same period. Recently, my main research concern is about the correlation between the art/architecture and science of the period, which may be best represented by the case of Galileo Galilei.

Foreign Languages
Basque Literature, Contemporary Literature and Culture in the Spanish-speaking World

My main field of research is Basque Literature, and I also translate works of Basque-language authors into Japanese. Focused on Bernardo Atxaga's trajectory and works, I have considered the process of exponential development of contemporary literature in Basque since the mid-20th century. Other research interests include bilingualism in literatures produced in multilingual areas and/or in minorized languages, translation (esp. self-translation) and world literature.

Education Studies
Comparative Education, International Educational Development

My research interest is education in the Global South of Asia and Africa, and I am engaged in both research and practice. In particular, I focus on themes that cannot be measured by academic achievement tests, such as inclusive education and the development of non-cognitive skills. In addition to "research," I am also involved as an expert in "practical work" such as JICA projects, and am working on both at the same time, trying to achieve synergy.

German Literature
Modern German Literature and Literary Theory. Media Studies

I do research on German literature and German theoretical thinking from the viewpoint of the media history. Media are a historical a priori for writing and thinking. Media history from printing by way of analog media to digital media changed the relationship of time and space immensely. I try to observe and describe the influences media history has exerted on literary and theoretical discourses.

Psychology
Aesthetic Science, Cognitive Neuroscience, Experimental Psychology

I am studying the psychology of the subjective and aesthetic experience including interpersonal attraction and its association with brain mechanisms. I am mostly interested in the psychological and neurobiological aspects of beauty, the appearance of attractiveness in faces and bodies, social attributions, and human perception. My main methodological techniques are psychophysical experiments with fMRI, EEG, eye-tracking, and motion capture. Human subjectivity is vague and easily influenced. We are pursuing applied research that will elucidate mind and brain functions concerned with the relationship and causality of these factors.