Gregg Midon is a first-year doctoral student in the Department of East Asian Studies, specializing in Japan. He holds an M.A. in East Asian Studies from the University of Arizona and a B.A. in Philosophy from Loyola University Chicago. His research focuses on the performance of power through technologies and popular media (including writing, narrative, music, and mass culture) in modern Japan. Curious about the intersections of ideology and rituality in daily life, he addresses the question of how readable media reflect or even shape popular beliefs and religious movements. Partial to methodologies of close reading, critical geography, and social-cultural historical analysis, his interest extends to transnational relationships between Japan and Korea. As a student with a voice, he hopes to challenge essentialist narratives around Japan's identity, history, and people. When not studying, he continues to play the drums, guitar, and piano for fun and inspiration.