Field of Research
International Relations of East Asia, U.S. Foreign Relations, Cold War
Research Topics
International History, National Security, Public Diplomacy, Energy Diplomacy, Nuclear Strategy, U.S.-China Relations
Overview of Research
Kazushi Minami is a historian of contemporary U.S.-East Asian relations. I received my Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas at Austin before joining OSIPP in 2019. Drawing on English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean sources, my research investigates various aspects of international relations in East Asia to foster a deeper understanding of the region from both historical and policy perspectives.
My first book, People’s Diplomacy: How Americans and Chinese Transformed U.S.-China Relations during the Cold War, will be published by Cornell University Press (https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501774157/peoples-diplomacy/). It examines how Americans and Chinese from different walks of life—businesspeople, scientists, students, tourists, athletes, and artists, among others—rebuilt U.S.-China relations in the 1970s in the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
I am now at work on a second book, The Pivot: Oil, Geopolitics, and the Miracle of East Asia. Through multi-lingual, multi-archival research, this project analyzes how oil shaped and reshaped postwar international order in East Asia. It pays particular attention to the relationship between oil, U.S. hegemony, and the rapid economic development in the region.
For the third project, I am now envisioning a study on postwar Japan’s identity formation. Combining diplomatic history with social history, this project aims to analyze a diverse host of historical actors, from politicians to intellectuals to activists, to answer the crucial question: Where did today’s Japan come from?
My research has been published as articles in Diplomatic History, Cold War History, the Journal of Cold War Studies, and the Journal of Women’s History and as chapters in several edited volumes. I have also written for media outlets such as the Washington Post’s Made by History and the Wilson Center’s Sources and Methods.
Message to Students
At OSIPP, I advise graduate students from around the world, who work on diverse subjects in history, area studies, and (qualitative) political science, with geographical focus on East Asia and the United States. I welcome all students who are eager to explore the intersection of history and policy.
MINAMI, Kazushi
Associate Professor
Degree: Ph.D. in History (University of Texas at Austin)
minami@osipp.osaka-u.ac.jp
