FEATURED EVENT
LECTURE | WHY THE WORLD LOVES GODZILLA
With a history spanning 35 live-action movies over 70 years, the Godzilla franchise is the world’s
longest continuously running film series. But why did a giant radioactive monster become a
favorite of audiences around the globe and one of the most enduring icons of Japanese pop culture?
This talk will explore how Godzilla has spoken to moviegoers over the decades as a cinematic hero,
a nostalgic reminder, and a potent symbol of nuclear fear, environmental crisis, and the fragility
of modern life.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Dr. William M. Tsutsui
Chancellor & Professor of History
Ottawa University
Dr. William M. Tsutsui is Chancellor and
Professor of History at Ottawa University.
A graduate of Harvard, Oxford, and Princeton, he previously taught modern Japanese history and
held a variety of administrative positions at the University of Kansas, Southern Methodist University,
Hendrix College, and Harvard University.
Among the nine books he has written or edited are Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters
(called a “cult classic” by the New York Times),
In Godzilla’s Footsteps: Japanese Pop Icons on the Global Stage, and
Japanese Popular Culture and Globalization.
He is currently completing a book on the history of monster culture in Japan.
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