About:
Rachel Levine is a PhD candidate in the East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests include sexual violence and the law, gender and sexuality in Japan, and the domestic impact of international human rights norms. Her dissertation, entitled “Rape, Resistance, and Revision: Sexual Violence Law and Social Change” examines how sexual violence law is applied in Japanese courtrooms and how rape cases are discussed in the media. By analyzing these discursive environments, the study explores how key terms—such as consent and rape—are defined, interpreted, and reshaped over time. It also considers their implications for addressing sexual violence both socially and legally, situating Japan’s legal and media responses within a larger global conversation on sexual violence and justice.
Research Interests:
- Dissertation: “Rape, Resistance, and Revision: Sexual Violence Law and Social Change
in Japan” - MA Thesis: Behind the Shoji: Sex Trafficking of Japanese Citizen
- Gender Discrimination and Sexual Violence
- Sex Trafficking in East Asia
- Barriers to Female Workforce Participation in Japan
- Sexual Violence Law
- Human Rights
Academic History:
- 2019 M.A Asian Studies, Florida International University
- 2017 B.A East Asian Languages and Cultures, Minors: International Relations, Psychology, University of Southern California
Dissertation Committee:
Publications:
- (2020). “Behind the Shoji Screen: Sex Trafficking of Japanese Citizens.” Japan Studies Review, 24, pp. 61-83.
Presentations:
- 2025 Association of Asian Studies: “Legally Aligned, Practically Divergent: Japan’s Rape Law and Human Right Standards”
- 2023 Association of Asian Studies-in-Asia: “Beyond the Black Box: The (In)visibility of Sexual Violence in Japanese News Media”
- 2022 International Communication Association Conference: “Beyond the Black Box: Sexual Violence and Japanese Media”
Research and Teaching Experience:
- 2021 – 2022 University of California, Santa Barbara, Teaching Assistant: Re-inventing Samurai, East Asian Traditions: Pre-modern, East Asian Traditions: Modern
- 2019 – Present, Florida International University, Adjunct lecturer: ASN 3202 Japanese Anime and Manga
- 2017 – 2019 Florida International University, Teaching Assistant: Introduction to East Asia, Japanese Culture and Society, Graduate Intro to Modern Asia, Graduate Asian Religion Seminar, Graduate Media Seminar, Graduate Masters Seminar
Academic Awards and Grants:
- 2023-24 Fukushima-Fulbright Japan Graduate Research Fellow, Grant
- 2020 Central Fellowship, University of California, Santa Barbara, Fellowship
- 2019 Excellence in Research Award, Florida International University, Academic Award
- 2017 Emma Josephine Bradley Bovard Award, University of Southern California, Academic Award
- 2017 Renaissance Scholar, University of Southern California, Academic Award
- 2017 Order of Troy, University of Southern California, Service award
