Koji Lau-Ozawa

I am an historical archaeologist whose research examines the intersecting realms of landscapes, diaspora, material culture, and memory. My dissertation focuses on the archaeology of the Japanese diaspora, examining the material connections and landscapes of Japanese American communities. In particular I have worked in collaboration with the Gila River Indian Community to investigate the site of the WWII Gila River Incarceration Camp. This long term project combines archaeological, oral historical and archival research in a transnational framework to study the camp landscape and flows of material culture. A second site of investigation looks the material culture of a pre-WWII urban Japanese American community in Santa Barbara. These research projects are supported by the Wenner-Gren Foundation, The Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant, as well as the Society for California Archaeology.

Before Stanford, I studied at San Francisco State University and the University of Edinburgh. I also worked for 8 years in archaeology in the Bay Area for the National Park Service and Stanford Heritage Services.