Mark McLelland is a sociologist and cultural historian of Japan specialising in the history of sexuality, gender theory and new media. His recent publications have focused on the postwar history of Japanese queer cultures and the development of the Internet in Japan, especially the use of the Internet and other new media by minority communities in Japan and throughout Asia. He is a founding member of the AsiaPacifiQueer research collective which organised the Genders, Sexualities & Rights: 1st International Conference of Asian Queer Studies in Bangkok in 2005. He recently organised a workshop and an edited collection on Japanese Transnational Fandoms with Fran Martin (University of Melbourne), and is working on a long term book project tentatively entitled: 'Kissing is a symbol of Democracy: Dating Democracy and Romance in Japan Under the Occupation 1945-52. Mark was the 2007/08 Toyota Visiting Professor of Japanese at the Center for Japanese Studies, The University of Michigan.
Articles
Japanese materials dealing with sexual minority cultures and identities across the twentieth century., University of Wollongong (2011)
Investigation of the history of queer communities and identities in Tokyo. Dataset is a searchable...
Thought policing or the protection of youth? Debate in Japan over the "Non-existent youth bill", International Journal of Comic Art (2011)
In early 2010 Tokyo Governor Ishihara Shintarō, supported by international child welfare organisations and a...
Australia's proposed internet filtering system : its implications for animation, comic and gaming (ACG) and slash fan communities, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2010)
This paper investigates the implications of the Australian Government’s proposed Internet filtering system in the...
“Kissing Is a Symbol of Democracy!” Dating, Democracy and Romance in Occupied Japan 1945-1952, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2010)
Japan’s defeat at the end of its fifteen years’ war in 1945 saw widespread changes...
The role of the 'tojisha' in current debates about sexual minority rights in Japan, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2009)
‘Speaking as a tojisha’ has become an important strategy in establishing ‘correct knowledge’ about sexual...
Book Chapters
Japan’s Original Gay Boom, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2006)
This paper looks at the rise of the category gei boi (gay boy) in postwar...
Salarymen Doing Queer: Gay Men and the Heterosexual Public Sphere in Japan, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2005)
This paper looks at the difficulties gay men in Japan experience in discussing their sexuality...
Interpretation and Orientalism: Outing Japan's Sexual Minorities to the English-Speaking World, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2003)
The growing visibility of Japanese gay men and lesbians who articulate their identities in a...
Conference Presentations
Inside Out: Queer Theory and Popular Culture, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2005)
This paper looks at the proliferation of gay characters and subtexts in late 1990s media.