Dr. Ben Whaley
Positions
Associate Professor, Japanese
Faculty of Arts , School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures
Undergraduate Advisor, Program, Japanese
Faculty of Arts , School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures
Contact information
Phone number
Office: 403.220.3482
Location
Office: CHD425
Preferred method of communication
Available for contact by email and phone.
Background
Educational Background
B.A. (Honors) Japanese, Stanford University, 2007
M.A. Asian Studies, University of British Columbia, 2012
Ph.D. Asian Studies, University of British Columbia, 2016
Biography
Ben Whaley is Associate Professor of Japanese in the School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures at the University of Calgary. His research focuses on contemporary Japanese popular culture and modern Japanese literature.
Research
Areas of Research
Social anxieties and traumatic events as simulated in contemporary Japanese videogames.
The oeuvre of Japan’s “God of Manga” Tezuka Osamu. Ethno-racialization and narratives of the Holocaust in postwar manga.
Narratological analysis of modern Japanese literature of trauma by minority writers.
Participation in university strategic initiatives
Courses
| Course number | Course title | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| JPNS 423 | Advanced Manga Studies | Winter 2024 |
| EALS 501 | Advanced Research in Japanese Studies | Winter 2022 |
| JPNS 317.02 | Japanese Cinema | Fall 2021 |
| JPNS 325 | Japanese Videogames and Gaming Culture | Fall 2018 |
| JPNS 323 | Critical Approaches to Manga and Anime | Fall 2020 |
| JPNS 327 | Modern Japanese Literature in Translation | Winter 2021 |
| JPNS 201 | Introduction to Japanese Popular Culture | Fall 2021 |
Projects
This ongoing project is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Japan Foundation. It examines Jewish identities and narratives of the Holocaust in postwar manga.
This book bridges the gap between Japanese popular culture studies and game studies by examining four contemporary Japanese video games in terms of how they engage with some of Japan’s biggest social anxieties and traumatic events. It is Volume 100 in the Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies by the University of Michigan Press.
Awards
- Outstanding Early Career Teacher Award, University of Calgary - Faculty of Arts. 2019
Publications
- Toward a Gameic World: New Rules of Engagement from Japanese Video Games. University of Michigan Press. 186 pages. (2023)
In the News
- Does Netflix's Avatar Prove That Good Live-Action Adaptations Are Impossible?. CBC News. (2024)
- Japanese Video Games and the Mediation of Trauma. The Japan Foundation, Toronto - Online Lecture. (2023)
- Toward a Gameic World: New Rules of Engagement from Japanese Video Games. New Books Network - New Books in Japanese Studies Podcast. (2023)
- Alumni Spotlight Interview. Stanford University Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. (2022)
- Calgary Cafe Offers Squid Game Challenge. CTV News. (2021)
- AAS Member Spotlight. Association for Asian Studies. (2018)
More Information
Follow me on Twitter @Ben_Whaley
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