Jessamyn Abel
Senior Lecturer in History
326 Weaver BuildingEducation:
- PhD, Columbia University, 2004
- MIA, Columbia University, 1997
- BA, Princeton University, 1992
Biography:
I am a historian of modern Japan. My research has focused on Japan’s foreign relations, and I enjoy bringing a globally contextualized view of Japan into the classroom. I recently submitted for publication review a manuscript entitled International Mind: The Structure of Twentieth Century Japanese Foreign Policy. My new research is on the development of the bullet train in Japan in the context of the international race toward high-speed rail in the twentieth century. My publications include articles on the Tokyo Olympics, cultural diplomacy during World War II, and the history of whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries. Before coming to Penn State, I was Assistant Professor at Bowling Green State University and held research fellowships at Harvard University’s Program on U.S.-Japan Relations and Columbia’s Expanding East Asian Studies Program.
Recent Publications:
“Japan’s Sporting Diplomacy: The 1964 Tokyo Olympiad.” The International History Review (June 2012), 1-18.
“Cultural Internationalism and Japan’s Wartime Empire.” Tumultuous Decade: Japan’s Challenge to the International System, 1931-41. Eds. Tosh Minohara and Masato Kimura. Toronto: University of Toronto Press (forthcoming, 2013).
“When Athletes Are Diplomats: Competing for World Opinion at the Tokyo Olympiads.” The East Asian Olympiads 1934-2008: Building Bodies and Nations in Japan, Korea, and China. Eds. William M. Tsutsui and Michael Baskett. Folkestone, UK: Global Oriental, 2011.
“The Ambivalence of Whaling: Conflicting Cultures in Identity-Formation.” JAPANimals: History and Culture in Japan's Animal Life. Eds. Gregory M. Pflugfelder and Brett L. Walker. Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies 52. Ann Arbor: Center for Japanese Studies, University of Michigan, 2005.
Awards and Service:
Harvard-Yenching Travel Grant, Harvard University (2012)
Kent Forster Memorial Fund Award, Pennsylvania State University (2011)
Advanced Research Fellow, Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, Harvard University (2008-2009)
Japan Foundation Short-Term Research Fellowship (2008)
Recent Courses:
ASIA100 - What is Asia?
HIST172 - Survey of Japanese Civilization
HIST302W - Undergraduate Seminar
HIST481 - Modern Japan Since 1800
