Antoni Lee

MPhil Candidate in Japanese Studies 2023-2025

My academic focus is on the cultural history of Modern Japan, exploring how colonial subjects influenced Japanese cultural identity and modernity. I examine the interactions between Japan and its colonies during the imperial era and how Imperial Japan’s colonial subjects negotiated their individual identities with their nationhood.

Currently, my dissertation project aims to develop a transnational perspective on Imperial Japan through the lens of performance, with Sai Shoki, a Korean-born dancer trained in Japan who became a cultural sensation in the 1930s, as a key example. My goal is to move beyond state-centric narratives to uncover the multifaceted interactions that shaped modern identities, and explain how figures like Sai Shoki reflected and influenced Japanese cultural anxieties and aspirations. 

Previously at Columbia University, I studied the history of ethnic minorities in Japan, with a particular focus on the Zainichi Koreans and their complex history with North Korea. My other interests include U.S. foreign policy on East Asia, art practice as visual epistemology, and Asian cinema.

Supervisor: Dr Alice Baldock

College: Balliol College