Abigail Meyer

Profile

I am a PhD student originally from Bedfordshire, UK. My research is an ethnographic study of a festival in Akita, northeast Japan, called Kanto Matsuri. In particular, I am interested in how newcomers to the festival, such as women, mark their place in its oral music lineages. As part of this, I am looking at at how the intense, affective nature of participation in the festival affects the kinds of bonds that are made and subsequent modes of belonging. 

In 2021, I completed a BA in Asia Pacific Studies at the University of Leeds. This included a year abroad at Akita International University, Japan (2017/2018) where I was able to participate in Kanto Matsuri, as a flute player in the university’s association or team. I later interviewed my teammates to write a dissertation on the changing gender boundaries in Kanto Matsuri. After completing my BA, I took a year off to work and to write the proposal for my MA by Research. During my MA by Research at University of Leeds (2022-2023), I was a member of a team organising the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies annual postgraduate research conference. My MA research project focused on gendered aesthetics, networks and notions of social maturity in Akita International University’s Kanto team. Aside from my research/studies, I have experience working in primary and secondary education.

My current research is funded by the Sasakawa Japanese Studies Postgraduate Studentship.

Research interests

Matsuri/festivals; Japanese studies; gender; oral music; belonging; affect; the body