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This talk explores the commodity history, cultural interactions, and social existence of Cup Noodles, a Japanese industrial food with an American flair. Originally marketed in Japan in 1971, Cup Noodle epitomized the dominant belief in postwar Japan that a better life could be achieved through convenience and comfort. Success of Cup Noodles in the United States and globally has been achieved by downplaying foreignness and fashion and by becoming an ordinary American food. The meanings associated with Cup Noodles reflect politics of negotiation between Japan and the United States.

Speaker: Dr. Alisa Freedman is a Professor of Japanese Literature, Cultural Studies, and Gender at the University of Oregon. Her books include Japan on American TV: Screaming Samurai Join Anime Clubs in the Land of the Lost; Tokyo in Transit: Japanese Culture on the Rails and Road; Women in Japanese Studies: Memoirs from a Trailblazing Generation (edited collection of 32 memoirs); Introducing Japanese Popular Culture (edited textbook featuring 42 trends); annotated translation of Kawabata Yasunari’s The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa; and Modern Girls on the Go: Gender, Mobility, and Labor in Japan (coedited volume). She has published numerous articles for academic and general interest publications, literary translations, and guides to publishing. She served as the editor-in-chief of the US–Japan Women’s Journal (2016–2022). She is the Faculty Fellow of a University of Oregon residence hall and has received a national award for her mentorship work. Alisa enjoys presenting at public events like cultural festivals, anime cons, reading groups, and TEDx. This talk is hosted by Dr. Laura MacDonald, Assistant Professor, MSU Residential College in the Arts and Humanities

This event is made possible by the U.S. Department of Education Title VI Grant managed by the MSU Asian Studies Center