East Asian Studies MA student
My name is ZiFu Xu. I received a B.A. in East Asian Studies with minors in Anthropology from Wellesley College. I spent most of my undergraduate time exploring how Japanese popular culture and media have been affected by modern history, and vice versa. In my senior year, I analyzed the reinvention of Postwar Japanese authors in contemporary fiction, noting how popular culture has utilized these icons to psychologically engage with teenage and young adult audiences.
My current research interest has narrowed to Japanese visual and interactive media and their social impacts, though I am eager to expand my understanding of Japanese media being — as opposed to a standalone product — a culmination of international influences.
Outside of academic endeavors, I enjoy classic novels, crime fiction, video games, and animation.