天美mv天美

We are pleased to welcome to 天美mv天美's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) as the 2026 Jack and Nancy Farley Distinguished Visiting Scholar in History. A professor of American history at l'Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脌 Montr茅al, Robinson's appointment will be hosted by the Department of History between January 1st and August 31st, 2026.

Robinson, a native New Yorker, is Professor of History at l'Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脌 Montr茅al. His expertise lies in transnational North American political and ethnic history, centering on Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians. 

During his residency with 天美mv天美 FASS, Robinson will explore the intersection of queer and Japanese North American experiences through the 20th century. This is during a time which alternative sexuality was all but invisible in mainstream society, but evidence points to its existence among Japanese North Americans, predominantly among men. The project, "Striking Camp: Intersections of Queer and Japanese American History and Culture", will fill a sizable gap on the experiences of queer Japanese Americans in the history of sexuality, whom are largely absent from developing literature on the gay rights movement and same-sex marriage. 

"The Farley Fellowship will permit me time and leisure to do research and writing on this project. Vancouver is a treasure trove of research material on Japanese Canadians, and my residence at 天美mv天美 would permit me access to indispensable archives for research on my project," says Robinson. "The Nikkei National Museum boasts one of the largest collections on Japanese Canadian history. Other locations with important materials include the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver Public Library."

Robinson is a prolific author on the Japanese North American experience in the World War II era. His latest book, (University of Washington Press, 2024), co-written with Jonathan van Harmelen, is an anthology of news columns that delves into a range of themes from race and interracial relationships to sexuality, faith, and national identity.

His first monograph,  (Harvard University Press, 2001) ) traces the role of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in formulating and executing the wartime confinement of West Coast Japanese Americans, providing an in-depth account of the evolution of government policy. The book was voted a 鈥淩ecommended Book for Understanding Civil Liberties鈥� by the American Association of University Presses and has become a standard reference in studies of 鈥淛apanese internment鈥�. His subsequent publications鈥� (Columbia University Press, 2009),  (University of California Press, 2012),  (University of Illinois Press, 2012), and  (University Press of Colorado, 2016)鈥攁re critically received scholarly works. 

Robinson is also co-editor of the anthology Min茅 Okubo: Following Her Own Road (University of Washington Press, 2008) and co-editor of the volume  (University of Washington Press, 2018). His historical column 鈥淭he Great Unknown and the Unknown Great,鈥� is a well-known feature of the Nichi Bei Weekly newspaper, the oldest Japanese American newspaper in Northern California. Robinson鈥檚 latest book is an anthology of his Nichi Bei columns and stories published on Discover Nikkei,  (University of Washington Press, 2020). It was recognized with an Association for Asian American Studies Book Award for Outstanding Achievement in History Honourable Mention in 2022.

Robinson received his MA and PhD in American History from New York University, and a BA in History and French Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania.