John Traphagan
Encyclopedia
John Willis Traphagan is an associate professor of Asian Studies, Anthropology, and Religious Studies at the University of Texas at Austin
. Traphagan's research has largely focused on rural Japan
, with most of his research conducted in Iwate Prefecture
. He has published extensively on ethnography
, aging, health, and ritual in rural Japan, and also writes on globalization and internal migration. In 2010 he was elected Secretary General of the Japan Anthropology Workshop
, the world's largest organization of anthropologists working on Japan.
, where he graduated from Chelmsford High School
. His father, Willis Traphagan, is Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and his mother, Jeanne Elizabeth Long Traphagan (d. 2004), was a professional French Horn player and businesswoman.
Traphagan received his Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Lowell
in 1983, his Masters of Arts in Religion and Social Ethics from Yale University
in 1986, and his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh
in 1997.
Department of Anthropology (1999); a research affiliate in the University of Michigan Population Studies Center (1999–2001); and an assistant professor of anthropology at California State University, Fullerton
(1999–2001).
Traphagan also received several fellowship
s, including Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships for summer
language study in Japan in 1992 and for the academic year in 1993, a University of Pittsburgh Nippon Sheet Glass Summer Intensive Language in 1994, and a 3-year Boren (NSEP) Area and Language Studies Doctoral Fellowship, beginning in 1994. He was a visiting research fellow at the University of Tokyo
Institute of Oriental
Studies in 1995–1996; a visiting researching at Iwate University
, Morioka, Japan, in 1998; a National Institute on Aging
postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan
Population Studies Center from 1997 to 1999; and a teaching fellow at the University of Pittsburgh
Department of Anghtropology in 1994. In 1995–1996 he was a Fulbright Scholar to Japan. All together, Traphagan spent 12 years doing ethnographic research in Japan, with a focus on the elderly population.
From 2001 to 2006 Traphagan was an assistant professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. From 2004 to 2007 he was Director of that university's Center for East Asian Studies. Since 2006, he has worked as Associate Professor of Asian Studies, Anthropology, and Religious Studies at the University of Texas.
, the 2005 Association for Anthropology and Gerontology Annual Conference in Austin, Texas
, and the 2010 Japan Anthropology Workshop 20th Conference in Austin, Texas. He was a co-organizer of the 2004 Japanese Families in a Global Age: Conflict and Change Conference in Pittsburgh.
In 2010 Traphagan was named Secretary General of the Japan Anthropology Workshop.
He is past president of the Association for Anthropology and Gerontology and past editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology.
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. Traphagan's research has largely focused on rural Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, with most of his research conducted in Iwate Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
. He has published extensively on ethnography
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
, aging, health, and ritual in rural Japan, and also writes on globalization and internal migration. In 2010 he was elected Secretary General of the Japan Anthropology Workshop
Japan Anthropology Workshop
Japan Anthropology Workshop ' developed out of a "growing international interest in the anthropology of Japan," and the first conference was organised in Oxford in March 1984...
, the world's largest organization of anthropologists working on Japan.
Early life and education
Traphagan was born on December 27, 1961 in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in the Boston area, attending public schools in Framingham and ChelmsfordChelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
, where he graduated from Chelmsford High School
Chelmsford High School
Chelmsford High School a public high school located in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts built in 1974. Before 1974 the high school was located in the current McCarthy Middle School building. It serves as the public high school for students in grades 9 through 12. It is part of a central campus that...
. His father, Willis Traphagan, is Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and his mother, Jeanne Elizabeth Long Traphagan (d. 2004), was a professional French Horn player and businesswoman.
Traphagan received his Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Lowell
University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
in 1983, his Masters of Arts in Religion and Social Ethics from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1986, and his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
in 1997.
Career
Traphagan was an instructor at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Anthropology (1996); an instructor at the Pennsylvania Governor's School for International Studies (1997); an adjunct lecturer at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Department of Anthropology (1999); a research affiliate in the University of Michigan Population Studies Center (1999–2001); and an assistant professor of anthropology at California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton is a public university located in Fullerton, California. It is the largest institution in the CSU System by enrollment, it offers long-distance education and adult-degree programs...
(1999–2001).
Traphagan also received several fellowship
Fellowship
Fellowship may refer to:* An academic position: see fellow* A merit-based scholarship, or form of academic financial aid* Fellowship , a period of medical training after a residency...
s, including Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships for summer
language study in Japan in 1992 and for the academic year in 1993, a University of Pittsburgh Nippon Sheet Glass Summer Intensive Language in 1994, and a 3-year Boren (NSEP) Area and Language Studies Doctoral Fellowship, beginning in 1994. He was a visiting research fellow at the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
Institute of Oriental
Studies in 1995–1996; a visiting researching at Iwate University
Iwate University
is a national university in Morioka, Iwate, Japan. This university has been called "Gandai" in Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1876, and was chartered as a university in 1949.-External links:*...
, Morioka, Japan, in 1998; a National Institute on Aging
National Institute on Aging
The National Institute on Aging ' is a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health , located in Baltimore, Maryland.The NIA leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life...
postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Population Studies Center from 1997 to 1999; and a teaching fellow at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
Department of Anghtropology in 1994. In 1995–1996 he was a Fulbright Scholar to Japan. All together, Traphagan spent 12 years doing ethnographic research in Japan, with a focus on the elderly population.
From 2001 to 2006 Traphagan was an assistant professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. From 2004 to 2007 he was Director of that university's Center for East Asian Studies. Since 2006, he has worked as Associate Professor of Asian Studies, Anthropology, and Religious Studies at the University of Texas.
Other activities
Traphagan is a frequent presenter at national and international symposia on the subjects of Japanese ethnography, demographics, aging and health care. He organized the 2000 Cultural Construction of Dementia Conference in Fullerton, CaliforniaFullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
, the 2005 Association for Anthropology and Gerontology Annual Conference in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, and the 2010 Japan Anthropology Workshop 20th Conference in Austin, Texas. He was a co-organizer of the 2004 Japanese Families in a Global Age: Conflict and Change Conference in Pittsburgh.
In 2010 Traphagan was named Secretary General of the Japan Anthropology Workshop.
He is past president of the Association for Anthropology and Gerontology and past editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology.
Family
Traphagan married Tomoko Watanabe, PhD, also of the University of Texas, and is the father of Julian (born 1995).Books
(with S. T. Onodera, S. Nakamura, T. Aizawa, J. Oikawa, T. Watanabe) (with P. Nas) (with John Knight) (with Christopher S. Thompson) (with Akiko Hashimoto)Edited journal issues
- Thang, Leng Leng; Mui Teng Yap; Traphagan, John W., eds. "Aging in Asia": Special issue of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 20(4), 2007.
- Traphagan, John W., ed. "Culture, Care, and Aging in Asia": Special issue of the Journal of Long Term Home Health Care, 25(1), 2007.
Book chapters
- "Altruism, Pathology, and Culture" in Pathological Altruism, Oakley, Barbara; Madhavan, Guruprasad; Wilson, David Sloan Wilson, eds. 2011: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0199738572
- "Generations Apart: Burdens, Bad Families, and Elder Suicide in Rural Japan" in Faces of Aging: The Lived Experiences of the Elderly in Japan, Matsumoto,Yoshiko, ed. 2011: Stanford University Press, p. 87ff. ISBN 9780804771481.