DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

Interests

Geographic Field(s):  Asian History

Thematic Field(s):  Environmental History; Political and Policy History; Urban History

Principal Research Interest(s):  Modern Japan, Air Pollution, Energy Production and Consumption, Anti-Smoke Campaigns and Regulations

Biography

Conrad Hirano explores the environmental history of modern Japan, focusing on the history of air pollution and anti-smoke campaigns from the 1880s to 1990s. As a CCHS Teaching Postdoctoral Fellow, Hirano will teach a course in Spring 2024 titled “Energy and Environments: A Global History.” The class will examine the inseparable relationship between energy sources – human labor, biofuel, coal, electricity, oil, natural gas, nuclear power, and renewable energy – and the environmental concerns of the periods when these sources entered and dominated human societies. When a new energy source is introduced to a community, advocates often present it as a solution to existing environmental issues. However, throughout the entire cycle of energy production and consumption, many energy sources negatively impact both the environment and people. When a new energy source enters society, whose environment does it claim to protect? Who is marginalized by the energy shift? While developing and teaching this course, Hirano will also actively participate in CCHS events and engage in scholarly discussions with other members of the community.