is a Japanese academic specializing on the intersection of gender, performance, and politics. She is an expert on Japanese feminism. Kano has worked at the University of Pennsylvania since 1995 and was named the R. Jean Brownlee Endowed Term Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations in 2026.
Life Kano graduated from Keio University. She completed a master's degree and Ph.D. at Cornell University.
Kano joined the faculty of University of Pennsylvania in 1995. She is a professor in the East Asian languages and civilizations department. Her academic focus is the intersection of gender, performance, and politics. She researches the cultural history of Japan and specializes in Japanese feminism. In 2025, she was name director of the Wolf Humanities Center. In 2026, Kano became the R. Jean Brownlee Endowed Term Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations.
Selected works
Reviews of Acting like a Woman in Modern Japan: Reviews of Japanese Feminist Debates:
References