Gregory Poole, PhD ― Professor

Gregory Poole first came to Japan in 1986 and before arriving at Doshisha held a number of posts at universities in the Kanto region, most recently as a professor of sociocultural anthropology in the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Tsukuba.

Dr. Poole grew up on eastern Long Island in the state of New York, obtaining a B.A. in Anthropology from Brown University, followed by graduate degrees in Linguistics and Japanese Studies from the Universities of Surrey and Sheffield, and a doctorate in Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford.

His research and teaching interests lie in the fields of educational and linguistic anthropology – the intersection of language, education, and society. More information on Dr. Poole’s research is available here.

His recent teaching includes courses on globalization, linguistic anthropology, and educational anthropology and in his seminars Dr. Poole has supervised B.A. theses and research projects on a range of interesting topics including: “Constructing the X-Gender Identity: self-identification and gender expression in the LGBT+ community in Kansai”, “The Power of Kawaii: yuru kyara and their role in Japanese society”, “Multiethnic Identity and Sense of Belonging: Japanese Pakistani individuals across two societies”, “Progressive Education in Japan: how it compares to societal expectations of schooling”, and “Interacting with Myself and by Myself: social interaction in online space”.