Mana Hayakawa

Mana Hayakawa
Her research examines Asian American dance and performances of non-normative bodies in the context of empire, and shifting terms of race, gender and citizenship with specific attention to dance in the context of Japanese American wartime incarceration.

Dr. Mana Hayakawa is a lecturer at the UCLA who teaches in the department of World Arts and Cultures/ Dance, disability studies, and the Interracial Dynamics in American Society and Culture Cluster program. Her research examines Asian American dance and performances of non-normative bodies in the context of empire, and shifting terms of race, gender and citizenship with specific attention to dance in the context of Japanese American wartime incarceration. In her capacity as an educator and student affairs professional she has worked at Stanford University, Pomona College, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Mt. Holyoke College. She holds a BA in American Studies from UC-Santa Cruz, a Masters of Social Justice Education from UMass Amherst, and a PhD in Culture and Performance with a graduate concentration in Asian American Studies from UCLA.This spring, Mana will engage with undergraduate students enrolled in dance and theatre studies seminars (taught by Professors Sarah Wilbur and Esther Kim Lee, respectively) and will share her research and writing strategies centered on the body, performance, and dance. Her work at at Duke is supported by a David J. Paletz Course Innovation Grant.