Biography
Jeffry (Jeff) Gayman is Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and the Research Faculty of Media and Communication at Hokkaido University, Japan. An American by nationality, he has been living and working in Japan for over 30 years, with approximately 20 of those in support of the Ainu people. He obtained his MA in Cross-Cultural Studies in 2005 from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States, and his PhD in Education from Kyushu University, Japan, in 2012. His research centres on Indigenous Education and Collaborative Research Methodologies with a special interest in the indigenous Ainu of Japan, a research focus he has honed over twenty years teaching at Hokkaido University. Professor Gayman also has strong interests in Indigenous-mainstream relations, education for intercultural understanding, and human rights education. His most recent publications include Education and Ethnicity of the Ainu People in the Routledge Handbook of Race and Ethnicity in Asia in 2021 and The Ainu Policy Promotion Act and Culture-Centered Indigenous Policies in Japan in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs in 2024. Alongside his research activities, Professor Gayman teaches English to first-year undergraduate students in the Liberal Arts Division of Hokkaido University. In his spare time he enjoys running, hiking, and skiing to stay fit.
Keynote Presentation (2024) | The Meaning and Message of Indigenous and Fourth Media: With a Focus on Media Created by the Ainu
