Akira Sawata

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Publications & Writing
My writing examines how education is shaped by power, policy, identity, affect, materials, and struggles over the future. Drawing on higher education studies (critical university studies), cultural and educational anthropology, queer, trans, crip, feminist studies, I explore how universities and communities respond to institutional change, political interference, and the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. My work also considers the everyday practices through which students, educators, and activists create spaces of care, resistance, survival, and possibility. I write in both English and Japanese across academic articles, book chapters, essays, translations, and public-facing publications. This page brings together my published work and ongoing writing projects.

Peer-Reviewed Article

  • Sawata, A. (2026). Grief as a constitutive shadow of queer joy: Reclaiming negativity and the ethics of staying for education research. Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education. [Forthcoming]
  • Sawata, A. (2026). Catastrophe and worldmaking in U.S. higher education: A constellational history of queer and trans life. Encounters in Theory and History of Education. [Forthcoming]
  • Ebata, C., Sawata, A., & Kimura, T. (2026). Systematizing admission decision in U.S. undergraduate admissions: Insights from the College Board’s ‘Admissions Models Project.’ Japan Association for Research of Testing, 22(1).
  • Sawata, A. (2026). What if DEI was never for “us”?: Re-imagining DEI from the cracks. Journal of College and Characters,1-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/2194587X.2026.2667394
  • Sawata, A. (2026). Bridging the silence: LGBT/queer Asian/American collegians and the politics of belonging on and off campus, 1970s–1990s. World’s Education Journal by CISC (WEJC), 1(1), 155–173. https://doi.org/10.24926/wejc.v1i1.7027
  • Tokunaga, T., Sawata, A., & Kawano, Y. (2026). Developing multicultural intergroup dialogue at a Japanese university: Towards sustainable and holistic international student support. Journal of International Students, 16(2), 115–134. https://doi.org/10.32674/wbf7bw59
  • Sawata, A. (2025). Student activism in the age of deportability: Toward the coalition between immigrant and international students beyond divisive rhetoric. Journal of Educational Controversy, 17. Article 6. https://mabel.wwu.edu/do/70514e35-5a9e-4fda-8ff8-9b0f31d108f3
  • Sawata, A. (2024). Community building and coping strategies in the intersectionality: Narratives of Asian gay international students about a lack of the sense of belonging. Intercultural Education (Bulletin of the Intercultural Education Society of Japan), 60, 74–91.
  • Sawata, A., Hagiwara, Y., Aiura, Y., Masaki, R., Kihara, R., Fujishima, A., & Gotou, M. (2024). Social-justice-oriented collaborative learning of LGBTQ+ students and their allies: Participatory action research in student organization. The Journal of East Asian Educational Research, 18, 13–40. [Lead author] https://www.ioeae.com/_files/ugd/7b35bc_705554700d4d46519c7b5031727360b3.pdf
  • Sawata, A. (2024). Dilemmas over recognition for surviving an intersectional life: Focusing on the identity negotiation of queer international students from ‘LGBT-friendly countries.’ Research Collection of Sociology of Education at Kyushu University, 27, 37–46. https://doi.org/10.15017/7178868
  • Inugai Dixon, C., Maya, K., Sawata, A., Graeme, G., Erin, B., William, H., Roberts, M., & Umetsu, S. (2023). International Baccalaureate schools as ecosystems and the implications for self-organized teacher professional learning: A report of self-directed action research between IBEC students and IB teachers. The Journal of Research into IB Education, 7, 131–141.
    Theses & Other Research Reports

Theses & Other Research Reports

  • Sawata, A. (2024). The lived experiences and support of the queer international students at Japanese universities from the perspectives of students and supporters [Master’s thesis, University of Tsukuba].
  • Sawata, A. (2023). Rethinking student support from the pain of queer international students: Intersectional support for intersectional individuals. In 2023 Seminar on Educational Research Exchange of NCNU and University of Tsukuba Seminar Proceedings (pp. 21–43).
  • Sawata, A. (2022). Effective use of dramatic approaches in the language classroom: The abilities required in and after 2030. A Collection of Thesis, Studies of Global Japanese Studies, Meiji University, 8, 27–68.

Magazine Articles, Translations, & Other Publications

  • Sawatam A. (2026, May). Living as the other, or as an enemy: Studying abroad in an era of xenophobia and anti-diversity. University & College Management, 22(2), 33-34. [magazine column]
  • Sawata, A. (2025, March). Queer international students under fire: A call for intersectional support as a researcher, supporter, and insider/myself. ACPA–College Student Educators International (CGDSD Magazine), 1, 5–7. [magazine article]
  • Cook-Sather, A., Sawata, A. (trans.), & Tanaka, M. (trans.). (2024, July). Student self-governance in higher education: A critical perspective from the United States. Comparative Education, 69. [translation]

To be continued…

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