Laura Miller (anthropologist)

Laura Miller (born December 15, 1953) is an American anthropologist and the Ei'ichi Shibusawa-Seigo Arai Endowed Professor of Japanese Studies[1] and Professor of History at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. She held various academic positions and jobs in both the United States and Japan before accepting this named chair in 2010.[2][3]

Laura Miller
Born (1953-12-15) December 15, 1953 (age 70)
Academic background
Alma mater
Academic work
DisciplineAnthropologist
Sub-discipline
InstitutionsUniversity of Missouri–St. Louis

Early life

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Miller is a Californio, a descendant of the founding settlers and escort soldiers of the Pueblo de Los Angeles (present day Los Angeles, California) in 1781. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a double major in Asian studies and anthropology in 1977, and completed a Master of Arts degree in anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1983 on the topic of aizuchi[4] Japanese listening behavior. Her 1988 UCLA doctorate in anthropology was a linguistic anthropology study of interethnic communication among co-workers in Japan.[5][6]

Academic work

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Miller's research interests are in the fields of interdisciplinary Japan studies and linguistic anthropology. She has done research on diverse topics, including divination, the kawaii aesthetic, conduct literature, youth fashion and the beauty industry, and historic figures such as Himiko and Abe no Seimei.[7] Her linguistic anthropology research has included studies of Japanese youth slang, writing systems, gendered linguistic performances, folklinguistic theories, loanwords, and interethnic communication. Miller also produced some research on Russian language acquisition.[8][9][10]

Selected publications

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Books

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Diva Nation: Female Icons from Japanese Cultural History. Edited by Laura Miller and Rebecca Copeland. University of California Press, 2018.[11]

Modern Girls on the Go: Gender, Mobility, and Labor in Japan. Edited by Alisa Freedman, Laura Miller, and Christine Yano. Stanford University Press, 2013.[12]

Manners and Mischief: Gender, Power, and Etiquette in Japan. Edited by Jan Bardsley and Laura Miller. University of California Press, 2011.[13]

Beauty Up: Exploring Contemporary Japanese Body Aesthetics. University of California Press, 2006.[14]

Bad Girls of Japan. Edited by Laura Miller and Jan Bardsley. Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.[15]

Selected book chapters and journal articles

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"Purikura: Expressive energy in female self photography." In Introducing Japanese Popular Culture, edited by Alisa Freedman and Toby Slade. Routledge, 2017.[16]

"Girl culture in East Asia." Transnational Asia: an online interdisciplinary journal 1(2) 2017.[17]

"Japanese tarot cards." ASIA Network Exchange: A Journal for Asian Studies in the Liberal Art 24 (1), 2017.[18]

"Japan’s trendy Word Grand Prix and Kanji of the Year: Commodified language forms in multiple contexts." In Language and Materiality: Ethnographic and Theoretical Explorations, edited by Jillian Cavanaugh and Shalini Shankar. Cambridge University Press, 2017.[19]

"Linguistic folk theories and foreign celebrities of the past." Japanese Language and Literature 49 (2), 2015.[20] 

"Rebranding Himiko, the Shaman Queen of Ancient History." Mechademia, An Annual Forum for Anime, Manga and the Fan Arts. University of Minnesota Press, 2014.[21][22]

"Cute masquerade and the pimping of Japan." International Journal of Japanese Sociology 20 (1), 2011.[23][24]

"Subversive script and novel graphs in Japanese girls’ culture." Language & Communication 31 (1), 2011.[25]

"Japan’s Zoomorphic Urge." ASIA Network Exchange: A Journal for Asian Studies in the Liberal Arts 18 (1), 2010.[26]

"Extreme Makeover for a Heian-Era Wizard." Mechademia: An Annual Forum for Anime, Manga and the Fan Arts. University of Minnesota Press, 2008.[27][28][29]

"Those naughty teenage girls: Japanese Kogals, slang, and media assessments." Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 14 (2), 2004.[30][31][32]

"You are doing burikko! Censoring/scrutinizing artificers of cute femininity in Japanese." In Japanese Language, Gender, and Ideology: Cultural Models and Real People, edited by Shigeko Okamoto and Janet Shibamoto Smith. Oxford University Press, 2004.[33][34]

"Wasei eigo: English ‘loanwords’ coined in Japan." In The Life of Language: Papers in Linguistics in Honor of William Bright, edited by Jane Hill, P.J. Mistry and Lyle Campbell. Mouton/De Gruyter, 1997.[35][36]

"Folklinguistic theories of language learning" (with Ralph Ginsberg). In Second Language Acquisition in a Study Abroad Context, edited by Barbara F. Freed, John Benjamins, 1995.[37][38][39]

"Two aspects of Japanese and American co-worker interaction: Giving instruction and creating rapport." Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences 31 (2), 1995.[40][41][42]

"Japanese and American indirectness." Journal of Asian and Pacific Communication 5 (1 & 2), 1994.[43]

"Japanese and American meetings and what goes on before them." Pragmatics 4 (2), 1994.[44][45]

"Verbal listening behavior in conversations between Japanese and Americans." In The Pragmatics of Intercultural and International Communication, edited by Jan Blommaert and Jef Verschueren, John Benjamins, 1991.[46][47]

"The Japanese language and honorific speech: Is there a nihongo without keigo?" Penn Review of Linguistics 13, 1989.[48]

References

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  1. ^ "The Society". Japan America Society of St. Louis. 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  2. ^ "Laura Miller". www.umsl.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  3. ^ "Endowed Chair: Japanese Studies". www.umsl.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  4. ^ Miller, Laura. 1983 MA Thesis "Aizuchi: Japanese Listening Behavior" UCLA.
  5. ^ "Laura Miller". www.umsl.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  6. ^ "Endowed Chair: Japanese Studies". www.umsl.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  7. ^ "Laura Miller | University of Missouri - St. Louis - Academia.edu". umsl.academia.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  8. ^ "Laura Miller". www.umsl.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  9. ^ "Endowed Chair: Japanese Studies". www.umsl.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  10. ^ "Work/Research". Laura's Website. 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  11. ^ Diva Nation. June 2018. ISBN 9780520297739.
  12. ^ Modern Girls on the Go: Gender, Mobility, and Labor in Japan.
  13. ^ Manners & Mischief.
  14. ^ Beauty Up: Exploring Contemporary Japanese Body Aesthetics.
  15. ^ Bad Girls of Japan.
  16. ^ "Introducing Japanese Popular Culture: 1st Edition (Paperback) - Routledge". Routledge.com. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  17. ^ Miller, Laura (2017). "Girl Culture in East Asia | Transnational Asia | Rice University". Transnational Asia. 1 (2). doi:10.25613/7z4f-g488. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  18. ^ Miller, Laura (2017-04-05). "Japanese Tarot Cards". ASIANetwork Exchange. 24 (1): 1–28. doi:10.16995/ane.244. ISSN 1943-9946.
  19. ^ Miller, Laura (October 2017). "Japan's Trendy Word Grand Prix and Kanji of the Year: Commodified Language Forms in Multiple Contexts". Language and Materiality. pp. 43–62. doi:10.1017/9781316848418.003. ISBN 9781316848418. Retrieved 2019-02-11. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  20. ^ Miller, Laura. "Linguistic Folk Theories and Foreign Celebrities of the Past". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  21. ^ Miller, Laura (2014-10-23). "Rebranding Himiko, the Shaman Queen of Ancient History". Mechademia. 9 (1): 179–198. doi:10.1353/mec.2014.0015. ISSN 2152-6648. S2CID 122601314.
  22. ^ "Rebranding Himiko, the Shaman Queen of Ancient History". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  23. ^ "Cute Masquerade and the Pimping of Japan". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  24. ^ Miller, Laura (2011). "Cute Masquerade and the Pimping of Japan". International Journal of Japanese Sociology. 20 (1): 18–29. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6781.2011.01145.x. ISSN 1475-6781.
  25. ^ Miller, Laura (2011). "Subversive script and novel graphs in Japanese girls' culture". Language & Communication. 31 (1): 16–26. doi:10.1016/j.langcom.2010.11.003. ISSN 0271-5309.
  26. ^ Miller, Laura (2010). "Japan's Zoomorphic Urge". ASIANetwork Exchange: A Journal for Asian Studies in the Liberal Arts. 17 (2): 69. doi:10.16995/ane.208. S2CID 191395100.
  27. ^ Miller, Laura (2008). "Extreme Makeover for a Heian-Era Wizard". Mechademia. 3 (1): 30–45. doi:10.1353/mec.0.0034. ISSN 2152-6648. S2CID 121434600.
  28. ^ "Extreme Makeover for a Heian-Era Wizard". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  29. ^ Miller, Laura (2008). "Extreme Makeover for a Heian-Era Wizard". University of Minnesota Press. 3: 30–45. JSTOR 41510901.
  30. ^ Miller, Laura (2004). "Those Naughty Teenage Girls: Japanese Kogals, Slang, and Media Assessments". Journal of Linguistic Anthropology. 14 (2): 225–247. doi:10.1525/jlin.2004.14.2.225. ISSN 1548-1395.
  31. ^ "Those Naughty Teenage Girls: Japanese Kogals, Slang, and Media Assessments". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  32. ^ Miller, Laura (December 2004). "Those Naughty Teenage Girls: Japanese Kogals, Slang, and Media Assessments". Journal of Linguistic Anthropology. 14 (2): 225–247. doi:10.1525/jlin.2004.14.2.225. JSTOR 43102647.
  33. ^ Grummitt, John (2009–2018). "Japanese Language, Gender, and Ideology: Cultural models and real people - Book Review" (PDF). SIL Electronic Book Reviews: 2 – via SIL.
  34. ^ Takekuro, Makiko (2006). "Japanese Language, Gender, and Ideology: Cultural Models and Real People, Edited by Shigeko Okamoto and Janet S. Shibamoto Smith". Journal of Sociolinguistics. 10 (5): 679–683. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9841.2006.00302_2.x. ISSN 1467-9841.
  35. ^ Bright, William (1998). The Life of Language: Papers in Linguistics in Honor of William Bright. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110156331.
  36. ^ "Laura Miller's Articles on Japanese". www.sas.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  37. ^ Thomas, Margaret (2004-07-31). Universal Grammar in Second-Language Acquisition: A History. Routledge. ISBN 9781134388547.
  38. ^ Miller, Laura{ Ginsberg (1995). "Folklinguistic Theories of Language Learning". Second Language Acquisition in a Study Abroad Context. Studies in Bilingualism. Vol. 9. p. 293. doi:10.1075/sibil.9.18mil. ISBN 978-90-272-4114-6. Retrieved 2019-02-11. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  39. ^ Freed, Barbara F. (1995). Second Language Acquisition in a Study Abroad Context. Studies in Bilingualism 9. John Benjamins North America, P. ISBN 9781556195426.
  40. ^ "Laura Miller's Articles on Japanese". www.sas.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  41. ^ "SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research". doi:10.1177/0021886395312004. S2CID 146797810. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  42. ^ "Two Aspects of Japanese and American Co-Worker Interaction: Giving Instructions and Creating Rapport". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  43. ^ "SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research". doi:10.1177/0021886395312004. S2CID 146797810. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  44. ^ Miller, Laura (2009-12-21). "Japanese and American meetings and what goes on before them: A case study of co-worker misunderstandings". Pragmatics. 4 (2). ISSN 1018-2101.
  45. ^ "Laura Miller's Articles on Japanese". www.sas.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  46. ^ Miller, Laura (1991). "Verbal listening behavior in conversations between Japanese and Americans". Pragmatics & Beyond. New Series. 6 (3): 111. doi:10.1075/pbns.6.3.07mil. ISBN 978-90-272-5016-2. S2CID 148183260.
  47. ^ Blommaert, Jan; Verschueren, Jef (1991-01-01). The Pragmatics of Intercultural and International Communication: Selected Papers of the International Pragmatics Conference, Antwerp, August 17-22, 1987 (volume III), and the Ghent Symposium on Intercultural Communication. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN 9789027250162.
  48. ^ Miller, Laura (1989). "The Japanese language and honorific speech: is there a nihongo without keigo?". Penn Review of Linguistics. 13.