Estelle Rust
エステル・ラスト
Visitor Interpretor, Museums of History NSW
material culture, historical pop-culture, heritage objects & sites, museums & galleries, place, regional communities
English, Japanese
Australia
I have a background in anthropology and history, with research experience in Australia and Japan. My research focuses on how material culture contributes to efforts in regional and community sustainability. I undertake ethnographic and qualitative research that seeks to support locally-placed interlocutors and heritage stakeholders from all levels of the community and its management.
I am interested in cultural experiences of place and forms of place-making, particularly regarding how community heritage spaces are maintained and preserved by grassroots actors. I have examined place-making through engagements with conservation groups and travel initiatives, including independently-managed seichi junrei/otaku pilgrimages [聖地巡礼].
I am also interested in material non-humans, ranging from historical objects such as Nihonto/Japanese swords [日本刀] to nuigurumi/plush doll companions [ぬいぐるみ]. My PhD research examined how those introduced to material culture through the franchise Touken Ranbu expand on anthropocentric notions of the person by recognising Japanese swords as socially emplaced non-humans. I wish to expand on this research, both in dealing with Japanese swords inside and outside of Japan, and by examining other potential material non-humans who have an important social presence in our societies.
B. Arts, Anthropology and History, The University of Sydney, Australia, 2015
Master of Media and Governance, Media and Governance, Keio University, Japan, 2020
Doctor of Philosophy, Anthropology, Keio University, Japan, 2023
- Research Scholar, The Powerhouse Museum, 2024
- English Translation, Fukuzawa Yukichi Memorial History Museum, 2022-23
Japan’s Living Swords: The Relational Dynamics of Human/ Non- Human Encounters and their Impact on Contemporary Social Life (Doctoral Dissertation. Keio University, 2023).
Contents Tourists and Content Production: The Negotiation of Site Narratives by Touken Ranbu Fans in Japanese Domestic Tourism, Australian Society for Asian Humanities, 53 (2022): 45-70.
Inhabiting The Exhibition Site through Dōjinshi: The Role of Fan Works in Place-Making, Keio SFC Journal, 22/1 (2022): 74-97.
8/24/2024