Research Interests
I am a researcher, Ph.D candidate and JSPS Scholarship Fellow at the University of Tokyo (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences). My main research interest is the Sociology of Trans Medicine.
Research field: Sociology of Health and Illness/Transgender Studies
My Master Thesis Project
Master's thesis: Pathologisation and Health Care Access for Gender Transition: (De)pathologisation in the Trans Medicine in Contemporary Japan
Specifically, the thesis clarified "how the pathologisation of gender diverse people and the access of the trans medicine have been related in the medical field in contemporary Japan".
In recent years, there has been a growing focus on the issue of depathologization in gender-affirming medical care. This movement aims to challenge the classification of gender nonconformity as a psychiatric pathology and advocates for providing medical care without pathologizing individuals. My master thesis explores the relationship between pathologization and medical access in Japan; it covers healthcare professionals' perspectives, institutional processes, and individuals' experiences. By examining these aspects, it contributes to discussions on pathologization, medical access, and the lived experiences of gender nonconforming individuals in Japan.
Themes specifically focused on in the master's thesis includes:
Tensions between medical sociology and trans studies (methodological decisions / theoretical explrolations)
Processes of constructing the legitimacy of treatment for gender transition
Research methods: historical sociology (medicalisation theory), medical discourse studies
The relationship between 'official' gender transition medicine and other forms of access to healthcare
Research methods: fieldwork, medical discourse, documentary research
Processes and effects of diagnosis in trans medicine
Research methods: interviews with people using trans medicine
Ambivalence of people using trans medicine, regarding pathological concepts, against diagnostic models and toward medical interventions
Research methods: interviews with people using trans medicine.
→currently planning to publish each of the topics listed above as a paper.
Research Projects planning to work during Doctoral Programme
Globalising systems of trans medicine framework and their importation into Japan
Research methods: historical sociology (medicalisation theory), medical discourse research
The relevance of the legitimacy of GRS and the wider politics of reproduction, including 'eugenic(maternity) protection act'
Cross-national comparison of the current situation regarding access to trans medicine (comparative sociology)
What differences in and/or cultural and social backgrounds between countries lead to access to health care, choice of physical transition, distancing from pathological concepts, etc.
Micro-practices of health professionals in trans medicine
Research methods: interviews with medical professionals engaging in trans medicine.
→Together with my master's thesis, I would like to publish the above research as a doctoral dissertation 'The Sociology of Trans Medicine'.
More Interests other than my main work...
"Transgender Joy" experience
future, but not right now ;)
discuss the legitimacy construction of gender transition medicine in relation to SRHR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) (bio-medical ethics, feminism)
Focus on intersectional medical experiences.
e.g.: 'real life experiences' (RLE) for Neuro-diverse people
e.g.: changing meanings of being a child and being trans
trans medical and health issues other than gender transition (gender theory, STS)
Cognitive injustice debate (STS?).
Perhaps arguable in parallel with the tension between medical sociology and British disability studies...