On Afro-Asian Radicalism
The complex strand of Black radical thought found in Japan pulsates with dynamism that can move in different directions. This talk suggests how to relate to this object of knowledge, or Afro-Asian radicalism. I see this task as an exercise in probing a deep well of commitment suffused with political defeats but also yearning to learn, evolve, and advance found within the intervening space between Black radicalism and Japanese intellectual and creative activities in the twentieth century.
In Japanese, an interstice is defined as ma (間). Attunement toward such a point of entanglement is of utmost importance to Afro-Asian radicalism. The details will be culled from Black Radical Thought in Japan (University of Washington Press, 2026), which delineates Japanese intellectuals' commitment to Black struggle cultivated through the study and translation of Black texts, many connected to the midcentury U.S. Left.
About the speaker:
Yuichiro Onishi is a scholar of African American intellectual history, who locates himself in the field of Afro-Asian studies. He also continues to investigate the genesis of occupied Okinawa. He began his academic career in the Center for Ethnic Studies at the Borough of Manhattan Community College of The City University of New York (CUNY). His most recent book, Black Radical Thought in Japan: An Afro-Asian Intellectual History (University of Washington Press), was published in July 2026.
Professor Onishi's research specialties include: Black radicalism and internationalism; African American intellectual history; Asian American studies; and transnational American studies. He is an associate professor of African American and African Studies in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. Other departmental affiliations include: Asian American Studies; Race, Indigeneity, Disability, Gender & Sexuality Studies; American Studies; Asian & Middle Eastern Studies; Heritage Studies and Public History Graduate Program. He is also the faculty director of UMN's Liberal Arts Engagement Hub.
