Understanding Transnational Studies: Japan and Global Flows

Michael Facius is an Associate Professor at Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo, specializing in early modern and modern Japanese cultural history within transnational and global contexts. After completing his PhD in Global History and Japanese Studies at Freie Universität Berlin in 2016, he held prestigious positions including a British Academy Newton International Fellowship at University College London. His research focuses on knowledge exchange patterns, language, and translation in Japanese history, with current projects including a book on transnational narratives of early modern Japan and a Kakenhi-funded study on emerging collaborative practices in humanities. His scholarly work spans multiple languages, having taught in German, English, and Japanese at institutions including Freie Universität Berlin, University College London, and the University of Tokyo. At Tokyo College, an interdisciplinary think tank founded in 2019, he contributes to making cutting-edge research accessible through various formats including lectures and digital media. His notable publications include works on transcultural philology in 19th-century Japan, the globalization of historical disciplines, and the transformation of Chinese knowledge in Japanese contexts. Currently, he leads research projects examining the role of early modern history in contemporary Japan and explores innovative approaches to humanities scholarship through public engagement and digital platforms.

Hannah Dahlberg-Dodd is a Project Assistant Professor at Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo, with expertise in linguistics, media studies, and character language. She earned her PhD in Japanese Linguistics from The Ohio State University in 2019 and was a Hosei International Fund Fellow from 2019-2020. Her research focuses on fictionalized speech styles in popular media, exploring their production, consumption, and perception in relation to characters (kyara) and personae. Dahlberg-Dodd's work spans various aspects of language in Japanese media, including first-person pronoun use in shonen anime, script variation in yuri magazines, and katakana transformations in fantasy video games. Her notable publications examine o-jōsama kotoba in yuri narratives, script variation as audience design in Japanese yuri comics, the role of authorship in the post-internet age, and masculine ideologies in the speech of Japanese shōnen protagonists. With teaching experience in Japanese language, linguistics, and media studies, Dahlberg-Dodd contributes significantly to the field of sociocultural linguistics, particularly in the context of Japanese popular culture and media representation.

Masashi Haneda is a prominent historian and academic leader, currently serving as the Director of Tokyo College and Project Professor at the University of Tokyo. With a PhD in Iranian Studies from Université de Paris III, Haneda has established himself as a leading expert in world and global history. His academic career spans over two decades at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo, culminating in his appointment as the inaugural director of Tokyo College in 2019.

Marcin Pawel Jarzebski is a Project Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo, specializing in sustainability science and environmental research. After earning his PhD in Sustainability Science from the University of Tokyo in 2015, he progressed through roles at the Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S) and Institute for Future Initiatives (IFI) before joining Tokyo College in 2020. His research spans multiple critical areas including community resilience, food security, climate change adaptation, and aging societies. His doctoral work examined resilience pathways in community forestry among indigenous and non-indigenous communities in the Philippines. Jarzebski has led significant research projects, including studies on food security impacts of industrial crops in Sub-Saharan Africa (FICESSA) and climate change adaptation in Southeast Asia. His recent work explores sustainable future societies, particularly focusing on the challenges and opportunities presented by aging and shrinking populations. He has published extensively in prestigious journals, with notable works on aging and population decline in urban sustainability, food security impacts in sub-Saharan Africa, and community resilience frameworks. His interdisciplinary approach combines environmental science with social considerations, including studies on the ecological identity of Japanese people. Currently serving as a Research Fellow at the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), Jarzebski continues to contribute to sustainability science through research, teaching, and international collaboration.