Profile

Full-time graduate student in the field of East Asian art history.

I'm a PhD student who studies Japanese handscrolls of the late Heian (794-1185) and Kamakura (1185-1333) periods. My particular emphasis is on those scrolls that feature horrific thematic content. Previously, my interests have tended towards depictions of ghosts and monsters in both the modern and pre-modern periods (films, prints, and scrolls being my primary focus). Not only do I wish to utilize these materials to assess the political, social, and religious atmosphere of their respective periods, but I also hope to examine the iconography employed in these works of art as a means of more deeply investigating questions on the subject of gender roles, socio-political struggle, and the impact and implications of culturally-specific fear.

My blog is a hodgepodge of musings on the subjects of art and film, reports from my travels around the world, current events related rantings (not for the faint of heart), obscure movie/book/lyric references, truly bizarre you tube clips, and anything else I happen to think is interesting/infuriating/hilarious or just plain worth mentioning. A link to my tags provides a better sense of what I do here.

Disclaimer: All content contained at this blogsite, with the exception of the html coding, is the intellectual property of the author and duplication of that intellectual property without permission of said author is prohibitted by law. Occasionally I do post pictures and quotes that derive from the intellectual property of others, however these items are used in accordance with the fair use standards of U.S. Copyright Law and are nearly always appropriately cited (although sometimes I forget). If I've posted something of yours that you want taken down, feel free to leave me a comment to that effect along with your contact information so I can get back to you. Thanks!