Patterson featured in East Meets West series

A college professor will discuss how popular music has helped to shape cross-cultural relations among Asians and Westerners, including Japan and Hawaiʻi.

Patrick Patterson, a professor in Asian Studies, is the guest speaker in a “East Meets West” series Saturday, July 30, at 1:30 p.m. at the Stanley Izumigawa Resource Center at the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center in Wailuku.

The event is free and open to the public, but due to social distancing requirements, reservations are required. To register, call the NVMC at 808-244-6862 or visit the website at www.nvmc.org.

Japan and Hawaiʻi share a vibrant history shaped by immigration, culture and commerce. The “East Meets West” series examines the similarities and differences between the cultures of Japan and Hawaiʻi by inviting professionals in diverse fields to share their knowledge.

Patterson is a professor of history at Honolulu Community College and an adjunct professor of Asian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where he specializes in east Asian popular culture and history.

In 2018 he published “Music and Words: Producing Popular Songs in Japan, 1887-1952,“ a book about the inception of Japan’s recording industry and its first great pop song composer, Nakayama Shimpei.

Professor Patterson is currently working on projects about transnational celebrities in Asia from 1920 to 1947 and on the relationship of journalism and storytelling to the culture in Japanese newspapers between 1868 and 1926.

Having met and talked with contemporary K-Pop, J-Pop, and Enka singers and musicians, Patterson is investigating the phenomenon of “City Pop” in an attempt to understand the relevance of older music to younger generations.

In his talk, Patterson will present “Border Song: How Popular Song Shaped Cross Cultural Identity in the 20th Century.” Patterson will explore the life and songs of Yamaguchi Yoshiko, Hibari Misora and Hattori Ryoichi – three popular individuals with compelling stories.

For a weekly listing of Maui music and other events, go to Maui Entertainment, Arts, Community, July 21-27 and click here.