"Excursions Old and New: Writing a History of Travel in Early Modern Japan" with Laura Nenzi

About the lecture

How does one write a history of travel in early modern Japan? Where does one begin, and where does one end? This talk follows the process that led to the writing and publication of Excursions in Identity. It considers the birth of an idea, the hunt for sources, the difficulties encountered, and the a-ha moments of the research and writing process. The author will also reflect back on the roads not taken and on what the book would look like if it were written today, as the discipline keeps evolving.

About the speaker

Professor Laura Nenzi teaches Japanese History at Emory University. A specialist in the social history of early modern Japan (1600-1868), she is the author of Excursions in Identity: Travel and the Intersection of Place, Gender, and Status in Edo Japan and The Chaos and Cosmos of Kurosawa Tokiko: One Woman’s Transit from Tokugawa to Meiji Japan, as well as several articles and chapters on such topics as comets, prophecy, pilgrimage, women, and print culture.

This event is made in partnership between The Asia Center and the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies.