Credentialed Course Instructor
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Research and Teaching Interests:Japanese language, culture, and literature; Afro-Japan relations; hip-hop and jazz in Japan; anime and manga; critical race and identity studies; Okinawan and Ainu culture
Office Hours: By appointment
Education:- A.A. Montgomery College at Rockville, Montgomery Scholar’s Program, General Studies
- B.A. University of Maryland - College Park, Japanese Language and Literature
- M.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Japanese Language and Literature
- Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Japanese Language and Literature
As a D.C.-raised global citizen with roots in Cuba and Spain and my heart in Japan, race, identity, and hybridity have been a constant point of interest. My love of Japanese language and culture was sparked at thirteen-years-old and was developed through many years of self-study and two years of study abroad at Keio University in Tokyo and the Inter-University Center (IUC) in Yokohama. Ever since, I have been dedicated to spreading my fascination with Japan, while negotiating my delicate position as someone very much in-between cultures. Both my dissertation and passion projects put Japanese identity and racial homogeneity into question while encouraging a more nuanced examination of how “Japaneseness” is constructed through popular literature and media.
