Dustin Wright

Dustin Wright is a historian and Assistant Professor of Japanese Culture and Language. His current research focuses on social movements in postwar Japan and, in particular, local movements against U.S. military bases. His current manuscript explores a range of anti-base movements from Hokkaido to Okinawa, including the Sunagawa Struggle, a foundational anti-base movement that erupted in a Tokyo suburb in the 1950s. His research and commentary has been published in Critical Asian Studies, The Sixties, The Japan Times, and the Japanese monthly Sekai (世界). In addition to his book, he is working on a cultural-colonial-culinary history of canned Spam across the Pacific. Most recently, he has contributed to the collaborative digital history project Bodies and Structures: Deep Mapping Modern East Asian History.

Before coming to CSUMB, Dustin taught at Connecticut College, UC Santa Cruz, Soka University of America, and the University of San Diego.

Dustin is thrilled to join the School of World Languages and Cultures, where he teaches a range of subjects in Japanese Studies, as well as courses on the wider Asia-Pacific world. He's always happy to meet and chat with students who have an interest in beginning to learn about Japan and Asia-Pacific, or those students who hope to deepen their own knowledge and experiences even further.

In the off hours, you might find him in the outdoors or inside with a British crime drama. He thinks of himself as somewhat of a cook, though it's still uncertain if anyone else agrees.

Feel free to stop into office hours or send him an email to find another time. He can often be found at one of the campus coffee shops and is always happy to chat.

More information can be found at his personal website.

Salutation: Prof. or Dr.

Teaching interests include: Japanese History and Culture, Pacific Food Studies, Japanese Environmental Studies, Japanese Pop Cultures, Social Movements and Issues in Asia-Pacific.