Christopher Laurent

Research

My research is based on ethnographic fieldwork in Japan. My first project focused on the social construction of taste in rural Japan. My second project examined Korean in Japan, the discrimination they suffer and the everyday forms of resistance they used to combat marginalization.

Talks

I hope to communicate my research with a broad audience ranging from specialists in my field to the general public. My presentation style strives to be accessible to all avoiding unnecessary jargon and using fieldwork anecdotes to illustrate my points.

Teaching

My teaching interests are broad including Asian Studies, Food Studies and Anthropology. Using an approach that encourages class discussion and reflection, I hope to create a learning environment where students can contribute to knowledge construction.

Making foreign foods Japanese

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During its two hundred years of isolation, Japan pursued a policy that attempted to prevent foreign political and cultural ideas to penetrate the country. The goal was foremost to thwart the growing influence of the Catholic church by effectively cutting Japan off from the rest of the world. The law stated that the Japanese leaving the…

Learn how to eat sushi the Japanese way

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In recent years, sushi has gained tremendous popularity around the World. As a result of this global success, sushi has come to mean different things depending on where it is eaten. For example, sushi in Japan is different from sushi in California. At its most basic definition, sushi is seasoned rice with raw fish, yet, to better…

Christopher Laurent