Research Fields

• Cultural diplomacy in Asia
• Media and regionalization in East Asia, Japan-Southeast Asian relations
• Cultural industries of Japan and Korea

About

Prof. Nissim Otmazgin teaches in  the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Department of Asian Studies. He was previously the head of the Institute for Asian and African Studies and is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities.  His research interests include cultural diplomacy in Asia, media regionalization in East and Southeast Asia, Japan-Southeast Asian relations, and cultural industry and cultural policy in Japan and South Korea. He is the author/co-author of 2 monographs and 6 edited volumes on media and society in East Asia. He has also published articles in a number of international journals including International Relations of Asia Pacific, Pacific Affairs, Asia-Pacific Review, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, Global Policy, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Asian Perspective, Contemporary Japan, Cross Currents, Kritika Kultura, and Media, Culture & Society.

 

Selected Publications

Otmazgin, Nissim. Regionalizing Culture: The Political Economy of Japanese Popular Culture in Asia, 2013, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 230 pages

Otmazgin, Nissim and Daliot-Bul, Michal. The Anime Boom in the US: Lessons for Global Creative Industries. 2017, Harvard University Asia Center Press, 212 pages

Otmazgin, Nissim. "An East Asian Public Diplomacy? Lessons from Japan, South Korea, and China" Asian Perspective, 2021, Vol. 45, No. 3

Otmazgin, Nissim. "State Intervention Does Not Support the Development of the Media Sector: Lessons from Korea and Japan," Global Policy, 2020. Vol. 11, June, 40 – 46

Otmazgin, Nissim and Lyan, Irina. “Fan Entrepreneurship: Fandom, Agency, and the Marketing of Hallyu in Israel,” Kritika Kultura, 2018, Issue 32, 288 – 307

 

Selected Awards

(June 2017) The Taiwan Fellowship Award to conduct field research in Taiwan.

(June 2015) The Korea Foundation Award to conduct research in Korea.

(June 2014) The Japan Foundation Award to conduct research in Japan.

(May 2015) Elected as a member of the Israel Young Academy.

(October 2012) Professor Yoram Ben-Porat Presidential Award for Outstanding Young Researcher for the year 2012-2013.

(November 2011) Selected as a member of Israel Academy of Sciences' Young Scientists Forum in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

(September 2010) Sir Zelman Cowen University Fund, for academic exchange fellowship at The University of Sydney.

(2009-2015) During six consecutive years named in the Outstanding Teachers List, based on students’ annual evaluation survey.

(October 2007) The Sixth Iue Asia-Pacific Research Prize for outstanding dissertation written on society and culture in Asia. Information about this prize available here.

 

Teaching

Bachelor's degree courses

Japanese Politics, Society and Foreign Relations.

Japan-Southeast Asian Relations in the Modern Period.

International Relations of East Asia (at the Dept. of IR, together with Dr. Galia Press-Barnathan)

Honors Seminar in Japanese and Korean Studies

Master's degree courses

Research Methods in Japanese Politics and Society.

Global Cities and Middle Classes in East Asia (together with Dr. Orna Naftali)