Yuiko Fujita, Ph.D.
Associate Professor,
Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies,
Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies,
The University of Tokyo
東京大学大学院情報学環 藤田結子研究室
113-0033 東京都文京区本郷7－3－1
Google Scholar Citations Yuiko Fujita
Researchmap (articles, conference presenations)
Email: yuikofujita4140@gmail.com
My research uses ethnographic and qualitative approaches to explore how digital media technologies are reshaping social practices, identities, and gender relations in East Asia, especially Japan.
I’m particularly interested in how global technological trends intersect with the Japanese social context, providing new insights into communication, youth culture, gender inequalities, and migraiton.
■Research Projects
- Care and Technology
The rapid advancement of digital technologies is transforming the meaning and value of care work—such as childcare, eldercare, and household chores—traditionally performed by women. This project focuses on how social media, AI, and social robots reshape both the practice and perception of care. In particular, it examines these shifts through an intersectional lens of race, gender, and class in Japan. - Media and Migration
Global cities such as New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo attract diverse professionals and artisans under the influence of media and cultural industries. This project investigates how art, fashion, and food sectors function as anchors for migration, and how media representations and networks facilitate the movement and settlement of creative workers across borders. - Youth and Social Media
This project examines how young people engage with social media and how this engagement influences their attitudes and everyday lives with respect to topics such as privacy concerns, the potential for political mobilization, and female hip-hop culture. This research seeks to illuminate the evolving relationship between youth culture and digital platforms. - Ethnographic Method
I study ethnographic methods, including both face-to-face and digital, and develop approaches to training students in these skills within classroom settings.
現在は、以下のテーマについて、エスノグラフィーなど質的調査法を用いて研究しています。成果は、主に国際学会、国際ジャーナルでの発表をめざし、研究室のメンバーや共同研究者と活動しています。
- ケア労働とテクノロジー
AI技術の発展は、女性たちが行ってきた育児や家事、介護などのケア労働の意味や価値にどのような変化を引き起こしているのか。スマートホーム、ソーシャルロボット、プラットフォームの影響に関して、人種とジェンダー、階層の交差性に着目し日本のケースについて考察を進めています。 - グローバルな移動とメディア・文化
ニューヨーク、ロンドン、パリ、東京などの都市は、メディアの影響の下、多数の専門職や職人を引きつけています。メディアと創造産業（アートやデザイン、食）のケースについて調査を行っています。 - 若者のソーシャルメディア利用
若者がどのようにソーシャルメディアを利用して情報に触れているのか、それ によって意識や行動にどのような変化があるのかについて、とくに位置情報（プライバシー、親密圏）、政治情報に関する共同研究をしています。女性とラップ文化についても関心があります。 - エスノグラフィー方法論
対面とデジタルのエスノグラフィーの方法と授業でのトレーニング法について研究しています。
■ Education
University of London, Goldsmiths, UK, Ph.D. (Communications, 2006)
Columbia University, NY, USA, M.A. (Sociology)
■PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Editorial Boards
- The Sociological Review, UK (2021-present)
- The Japan Sociological Review, Editor (2021-2023)
- International Journal of Japanese Sociology, The Japan Sociological Society, Editor (2006-2015)
Journal Referee
💂🗽The Sociological Review, Japan Forum, International Journal of Cultural Studies, American Sociological Review, Media Asia, Annals of Leisure Research etc.
🗾Japan Sociological Review, International Journal of Japanese Sociology , Journal of Mass Communication Studies, Journal of Cultural Anthropology, The Annual Review of Cultural Studies, Migration Policy Review, Journal of Labour Sociology and others
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When I was a child, I lived in Maryland, near Washington, D.C., in the U.S. I made friends from diverse backgrounds, which became the basis of my interests in research and hobbies, such as travel and hip-hop.
I wrote an essay about my experience (「マイケルの国で勉強したこと」）, which was published in a magazine. Your can read the draft here.