Our Team

Dr. Naoko Kato is an instructor of modern East Asian history at St. Mark’s College. She is an information resources specialist at the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library…

Jason Butters is a History-East Asia Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University with a background in Canadian international history and the history of twentieth-century Japanese-Canadian relations. His present research considers the…

Lyle De Souza is an Associate Professor of English Language and Literature at Kyoto Notre Dame University. Specializing in research aimed to increase understanding surrounding minorities, he utilizes his knowledge…

Elizabeth Vibert is a professor of history at the University of Victoria whose research focuses on gender, poverty, colonialism, and food systems. She is director of the SSHRC-funded research project…

A curatorial PhD Candidate at Monash University, Yuki Kawakami is a creative producer, educator and curator with a background in dance and performance. She has curated programs for special exhibitions…

Stephanie Kawamoto is a member of the Teacher Resources cluster. She is a French Immersion teacher in Ottawa, Ontario. She is a yonsei and is passionate about creating lessons and…

Katy Whitfield is an award-winning high school teacher, teaching at Bloor Collegiate Institute in the Toronto District School Board. For the past 20 years, she has taught history, French and…

Catherine Oikawa has been an educator with the Durham District School Board in Ontario for over 15 years. Most of her years has been in the intermediate classroom focussing on…

A PhD candidate in History at the University of California Santa Cruz, Jonathan van Harmelen specializes in 20th century U.S. social, political, and transnational history, with a focus on Japanese…

Letitia Johnson recently completed a PhD in History at the University of Saskatchewan, having completed her BA and MA at the University of Alberta. Johnson’s PhD thesis examines how healthcare…

Jeannie N. Shinozuka is assistant professor of Comparative Ethnic Studies at Washington State University, where she also holds the Arnold and Atsuko Craft Professorship. Her book, Biotic Borders: Transpacific Plant…

Sydney Kadagies is an archival Research Assistant serving on the Past Wrongs, Future Choices project. She holds a BA in History from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and has previously served as…

Dillon Takata is the great-grandson of one of the former owners of the Victoria Gorge Park Japanese Garden and Teahouse, which fell into disrepair under the custodianship of the Canadian…

Yuukichi Niwayama is a part-time lecturer at Sophia University, specializing in Japanese transpacific migration and culture. Highlighting and further researching stories of internment, his recent publications include: Niwayama, Y. (2021). …

Eiichiro Azuma, Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of American History and Professor of Asian American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, has published numerous works on Japanese American…

Jessica A. Fernández de Lara Harada holds a three-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Faculty of History and the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (Latin American Centre). Jessica is…

Holly Recchia is a scholar in Education at Concordia University, with research interests in children’s social and moral development. With an interest in how children conceptualize conflicts and resolve them,…

Daniela Luigia Caglioti is a Professor of History at Università di Napoli Federico II. Her publications on the topics of nationalism, citizenship, and war include: War and citizenship. Enemy Aliens…

A Professor of Modern European History at Flinders University, Peter Monteath also specializes in Australian History and has a particular interest in prisoners of war and internment. His book publications…

A professor, Board of Governors Research Chair and Co-Director of the Centre for Oral History and Tradiotion at the University of Lethbridge, Carly Adams specializes in community and gender in…

Neilesh Bose is the Canada Research Chair in Global History at UVic. Specializing in South Asian history focusing on colonial and post-colonial histories, he collaborates with various institutes at UVic…

Emma Sjerven is a Research Assistant on the Past Wrongs, Future Choices Project. A current undergraduate student, she is pursuing a degree in English and Professional Writing in Journalism and…

Aaron Stefik is a Research Fellow and editor serving on the Past Wrongs, Future Choices project via the Scholars Network. He holds a BA in History from the University of…

Deanna Oye serves as the President of the Nikkei Cultural Society of Lethbridge and Area, as well as an Associate Professor at the University of Lethbridge where she teaches Piano, Collaborative…

The President of the Ottawa Japanese Community Association, Melisa Kamibayashi is a professional taiko artist with a background in multimedia development and film production. Along with her service at OJCA,…

The President of the Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba, Kelly Kaita works as a Professor of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. In his position as President of JCAM, he…

Karen Ishizuka is the Chief Curator of the Japanese American National Museum. With a focus on further promoting diversity within the United States by sharing the Japanese American experience, her…

Rebecca Haimowitz is an award-winning Filmmaker whose work has screened across the world. She has received support from the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund, Chicken & Egg Pictures, the Fledgling Fund,…

The President of the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society, Tsugio Kurushima has been an active member of the broader BC Nikkei community since the foundation of the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations…

A Professor of History and English at Konan University, Stanley Kirk’s research surrounds the life histories of exiled Japanese Canadians. He has continued to interview, write and publish the stories…

Naomi Keenan O’Shea is currently a PhD candidate at Simon Fraser University, studying property and power relations in the context of Catholic Church land ownership and private redevelopment in her…

Dr. Yukari Takai is a Research Associate at the York Centre for Asian Research at York University in Canada. Most recently, she was a resident scholar at the International Research…

Lea Marinelli earned an honours degree in Political Science from McGill. In pursuit of her Master of Education/Arts joint degree, Lea worked and studied in Japan, the Cayman Islands, Germany,…

Tim Steains is a lecturer in the Faculty of Gender and Cultural Studies at the University of Sydney. His work focuses on the Japanese Australian experience, with an emphasis on mixed-race…

Helen Hughes is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts at Monash University, specializing in Australian art history and art criticism. Her work has been published extensively, with…

Penny Bryden is a past President of the Canadian Historical Association and a Professor of History at UVic, specializing in Modern Canadian History, Political and Constitutional History, and Scandal. She…

Lon Kurashige is a professor of history and spatial sciences at the University of Southern California and a noted author. His work foregrounds racial ideology, identity politics, and immigration, especially…

Gustavo Taniguti is a sociologist. His work involves the sociology of immigration, economics, and the history of the field. Taniguti has a Doctorate and a Post-Doctorate at the University of…

Bronwyn Currey is a fourth-year undergrad student at the University of Victoria, studying History and French. She was recommended as a research assistant for the film initiative collaborating with Past…

Melanie Brown works as the Manager of Strategic Initiatives at the Library and Archives of Canada, in the Public Services Branch. With a Master of Arts in Canadian Art History…

Patricia Simpson (sansei, she/her) is President of Hamilton Chapter National Association of Japanese Canadians and is a lifelong member of the Japanese Canadian community in Hamilton. She is a retired…

Carolyn Nakagawa is the Education Program Developer at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre, where she has worked on exhibits such as Writing Wrongs: Japanese Canadian Protest Letters of the 1940s and Taiken:…

Clement Hanami is the Vice President of Exhibitions and Art Director of the Japanese American National Museum. Responsible for the design, installation and maintenance of the major exhibits, his notable…

The President of the Edmonton Japanese Community Association, Paul Fujishige is a third-generation Japanese Canadian. His family’s experience with interment during the Second World War further helped him to advocate…

A third-generation Japanese Canadian, Tami Hirasawa acts as the president of the Central Vancouver Island Japanese Canadian Cultural Society, also known as the 7 Potatoes. She is currently studying the…

The current President of the Calgary Japanese Community Association, Maureen Coleman serves to strengthen and unify her community by blending perspectives of arriving immigrants and members of the CJCA. She…

Fernanda Tsujiguchi is a lecturer at London South Bank University and former Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria. Her research concerns the incentivization of…