Bruce Suttmeier
Dean of the College, Associate Professor of Japanese
Tuesday 8:30am - 10:00am (in Dovecote Cafe) or by appointment
Bruce Suttmeier joined the Lewis & Clark faculty in 2001 after receiving his doctorate in Asian Languages (Japanese Literature) from Stanford University. His early research examined the resurgence of WWII memories in postwar Japan, tracing its effects in writers such as Kaiko Takeshi, Oda Makoto, Oe Kenzaburo, and others. He continued this theme in several works, including an article on the uncanny return of a Japanese soldier from the jungles of Guam in 1972. He has also written on the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, focusing on the extraordinary building spree that accompanied the Games. His recent scholarship has focused on counterfactual history, work that has been supported by grants from The American Philosophical Society (2019) and The Japan Foundation (2020). He has led two semester-long overseas programs, first to Vietnam in 2010 and then to Siena, Italy in 2015. Since his return from Italy in Summer 2015, Bruce has served in the Dean’s Office, first as Associate Dean for Faculty Development, then Interim Dean, and since 2017, Dean of the College. As Dean, he oversees all academic departments and programs, as well as the library, overseas programs, advising, and several academic support offices. He loves to teach and continues to do so, including a Spring 2025 senior seminar called “Contemporary Japan in Fiction and Film,” an exploration of works from the past two decades.