Chiara Comastri

My research interests focus on postwar Japan grassroots cultural and social movements, with particular attention to the emergence of the so-called “circles” (sākuru) and the development of mini-communications (mini-komi) among ordinary Japanese people in opposition to mass culture. My DPhil dissertation is centred on the work of Hiroshima-based female writer and activist Yamashiro Tomoe (1912-2004) and her efforts to promote rural women's cultural and social empowerment from the late 1940s to the 1980s.

College: Balliol College

Department: Faculty of History

Supervisor: Professor Sho Konishi

Previous Degree Programme: MSc in Modern Japanese Studies 2016/2017