November 04, 2021
Linda Blaser
Jun Mizukawa selected a Japanese Research Fellow
Jun Mizukawa, a lecturer in religion and anthropology, is spending the 2021–2022 academic year in Japan as a Hakuhodo Japanese Research Fellow.
Mizukawa is conducting fieldwork in Kesennuma, a coastal city located in the northeast corner of Miyagi prefecture. Her research explores the emergence of what she calls “spirited ecology” in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Of particular focus are experimental projects led by residents that seek to establish a more sustainable, site-specific entanglement across species. Drawing inspirations from anthropology, religion, literature and environmental studies, Mizukawa hopes that her research findings will contribute not only to understanding culturally informed responses to disasters, but also to conversations with communities beyond Japan that face similar catastrophic ramifications of global climate change.
Mizukawa is among six researchers selected for the fellowship. Five of the researchers, including Mizuka, are from the United States and one is from France.