Abstract:

This program features the life and work of Ella Wiswell. In 1935-36, Wiswell lived in a remote village in Japan while helping her husband, John Embree, collect data for his dissertation. The Women of Suye Mura, a book based on her field journal, was published in 1982, with Robert J. Smith as co-author. In 1985, the village invited her back to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Embree field study. In this program, she and Smith discuss the original research, how they came to write the book, and her long relationship with the community. Visual materials include photos the Embrees took in the 1930s, as well as footage of the 1985 celebration. || The Voices of Experience series features interviews with a variety of Japan Studies scholars each talking about his/her own research and their evolving views of Japanese society.