Free Talk – Voices of Japanese War Brides in Postwar Kansas

Join us on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at 9:00 AM to hear the remarkable stories of Japanese women who married U.S. servicemen after World War II and made their homes in Kansas. Dr. Ayako Mizumura will explore how these women faced challenges and found community.

Event Highlights:

• Speaker: Dr. Ayako Mizumura, academic director at the University of Kansas
• Complimentary Coffee and light refreshments
• Open to All Ages, no registration required

TALK SUMMARY

Voices of Japanese “War Brides” in Postwar Kansas

Japanese women fled the devastation of a war-torn Japan after World War II to find challenges in a strange, new world. After marrying US military men and moving to the United States, these young women often faced challenges and hardship while others found opportunity and success. How do they adjust to a Western world and a military culture? How did they maintain connection to their homes and families back in Japan? This talk will share the voices of Japanese women who triumphed amidst great struggle to find community, connection, and culture identity in the place they viewed as the last destination of their lives—the Kansas prairie.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER – Dr. Ayako Mizumura

Dr. Ayako Mizumura is the academic director of the University of Kansas’s Center for East Asian Studies, a position she has held since 2014. In addition to her experience as academic director, Ayako has also taught numerous courses at KU, including Minorities in Japan, Contemporary East Asia, Gender and Globalization in East Asia, Eastern Civilizations, and Japanese language. She earned a Master’s and Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Kansas. Her research interests include interracial marriage, sociology of Japan, Asian military wives, and globalization in East Asia.

Special Thanks

This program is brought to us by Humanities Kansas, an independent nonprofit leading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy.