Chiho Sawada

Chiho Sawada is an Associate Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies at Holy Names University of Oakland, with teaching appointments in both the School of Education and Liberal Arts and the School of Business and Applied Social Sciences. He also directs a small research and public engagement organization — the Asia Pacific Peace Studies Institute is a co-presenter of the Oakland International Film Festival and serves as a consultant on cultural affairs to diplomatic missions and public affairs organizations in the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area. Sawada is especially interested in colonial history, critical media studies, multi-track diplomacy, and social entrepreneurship. His book Divided Lenses: Screen Memories of War in East Asia (edited with Michael Berry) was published by the University of Hawai’i Press in 2016. He is currently working on a new book on the Pacific War and reconciliation. In addition, Sawada is helping build student-centered NGOs focusing on conflict resolution and international development. Sawada holds Ph.D. and M.A. degrees from Harvard University, and a B.A. degree from the University of California San Diego (economics major with concentrations in engineering, visual arts, and psychology). He completed his post-doctoral training at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University and has served multiple stints as an APARC Research Fellow. He has also studied diplomatic history and international relations at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University.