Ayako Mizumura

Ayako Mizumura earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Kansas. She also has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Oregon. She was born in Saitama, Japan and worked at international travel agencies in Tokyo for several years before moving to the United States. As a tour coordinator, she traveled to many Asian countries including Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam as well as to Russia and several East European countries. Along with this travel experience, the study of sociology helped broaden her viewpoints. As a scholar, she has developed a methodological orientation to cross-cultural and comparative perspectives. Her research interests are interracial marriage, sociology of Japan, Asian military wives, and globalization in East Asia. She has taught numerous courses across the disciplines at KU, including Social Problems and American Values, Gender and Globalization in East Asia, East Asian Society in Global Context, Eastern Civilizations, and Japanese language.

yako joined the Center in 2013 to develop and manage the CEAS graduate program in Contemporary East Asian Studies. Although this program was discontinued in 2022, she continues to serve as an advisor for CEAS graduate students finishing up their degrees as well as for GIST graduate students with East Asian concentration. She is in charge of academic programming/curriculum development including future study abroad/exchange programs. She also organizes academic events including symposia, conferences, and workshops.