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Item Open Access West Bend Prescribed Fire Pilot after action review(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2024-12) Huber-Stearns, Heidi R.; Downey, JessThe West Bend Prescribed Fire Pilot Project was an ambitious and unprecedented effort in pace and scale in the area, designed in response to wildfire and climate crises, and centering public health. Overall, the project aligned with most of the five guiding principles of the PNW Regional Joint Statement of Intent. The pilot demonstrated efficient implementation of larger prescribed burns through enhanced inter-agency collaboration, improved communication, expedited timelines, and a strong commitment to addressing wildfire risks, achieving significant acreage while advancing shared goals for future wildfire management. This report highlights shared learning opportunities in public outreach, communication, inter- and intra-organizational coordination, and cross-agency collaboration. Participants identified several key areas for improvement, including enhancing inter-agency coordination, providing year-round public health support to help communities and airsheds become smoke ready, developing more aligned public health metrics to assess the effectiveness of risk reduction efforts, and improving integration of smoke forecasting, modeling, and implementation in future strategies.Item Open Access Molecular Architecture of the Octopus bimaculoides Central Nervous System(University of Oregon, 2024-12-06) Songco, Jeremea; Niell, CristopherInteracting with our environments requires that we appropriately integrate sensory information and convert these inputs into a perception of our surroundings to generate basic and complex behaviors. Traditionally, model organisms, such as nematodes, flies, zebrafish, or even mice, have been used in the laboratory setting to investigate neural circuit formation and function. While these organisms have furthered our understanding of how different cell types wire up to drive complex behavior, there is much to be learned from exploring the brain of non-traditional organisms. Cephalopods have the largest brain among invertebrates and have a rich catalog of behaviors, including navigating complex underwater environments and rapid body-patterning known as camouflage. While seminal work during the 1960s revealed cellular properties of neurons using the giant squid axon, recent advancements in technology have permitted further characterization of cell types and circuits in a species that is unlike many of those used traditionally in the field of neuroscience. By investigating the brain of these animals, we can begin to understand fundamental mechanisms involved in the formation and function of complex neural circuits. Unlike model organisms, there are limited tools in genetic manipulation and the field has yet to produce a comprehensive brain atlas bridging anatomical, molecular, and functional properties of cell types in these animals. Therefore, my dissertation sought to develop key resources that will serve as a foundation for such studies once it becomes technically possible. I first contributed to the optimization and usage of functional imaging in an ex vivo preparation of the octopus brain in order to characterize response properties of visually responsive cells in the optic lobe, the main visual center which is a paired brain region that comprises 2/3 of the central nervous system of octopuses. We found evidence for retinotopic organization of responses to light (ON) and dark (OFF) spots, including spatial tuning properties that may be suggestive of environmental demands. To begin elucidating the diversity of unit responses we revealed in this initial study, I focused on developing a single-cell molecular atlas of the Octopus bimaculoides optic lobe by combining single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) with multiplexed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We identified six classes of mature neuronal cell types in addition to a large population of immature neurons. Our FISH revealed sublaminar organization across the optic lobe, further characterizing the cell types that were initially identified in the 1960s based on morphology. An octopus’ ability to engage in a wide range of visually guided behaviors rests upon the various inputs and outputs the optic lobes have to other structures in the central nervous system. However, there has yet to be published a mapping of these structures as well as an in-depth understanding of the molecular landscape across the central nervous system. Therefore, I sought to develop the first brain-wide gene expression resource for cephalopods by characterizing all of the structures in this species through Hematoxylin & Eoisin (H&E) staining of serial sections of the brain, and I quantified expression for 40 genes, including functional and developmental determinants, across 20 identified brain regions. Together, this work reveals functional and molecular organization in the optic lobe as well as other brain regions, furthering our understanding of how a completely different organism can carry out complex behaviors. This dissertation includes previously published and unpublished co-authored material.Item Embargo English Learner Education: Examining Policy Decisions and Their Impact on Student Outcomes(University of Oregon, 2024-12-06) Vazquez Cano, Manuel; Umansky, IlanaThis three-article dissertation examined how policy choices in three key policy areas – initial enrollment, service provision, and reclassification – impact English learner (EL)-classified students. The first article examined the national landscape of state statutes, regulations, and state education agencies' (SEA) guidance that support districts in implementing procedures to award credit to secondary newcomer students for prior learning experiences. The findings reveal a lack of education statutes and regulations, and limited implementation guidance from SEAs to support newcomer credit transfer. The second article zooms into Portland Public Schools in Oregon and examines the causal effect of the district’s dual language immersion (DLI) program. The study found significant positive effects of the DLI program, demonstrating a notable increase in credit accrual, high school graduation rates, and attainment of the Seal of Biliteracy among participating students. The third article investigates the causal impact of reclassification from EL services in 5th and 8th grade on high school graduation and the mediating role of course access. The study does not identify significant effects of reclassification and does not find evidence supporting the hypothesis that early access to English Language Arts and Algebra 1 mediates the potential impact of reclassification. Findings from this dissertation contribute novel evidence to EL education policy and highlight how policy decisions at different entry points can potentially shape student outcomes.Item Open Access Machine-Learning-Based Classification of Acute Partial Sleep Deprivation with Resting-State fMRI(University of Oregon, 2024-12-06) Yang, Xi; Casement, MelyndaInsufficient sleep is highly prevalent. Limited knowledge has been accrued on the functional correlates of acute partial sleep deprivation in the awake brain. As resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) becomes an essential measure to investigate spontaneous neural activity and intrinsic functional connectivity, applying machine learning to rs-fMRI to classify the state of acute partial sleep deprivation remains an uncharted area. In the present study, based on sleep deprivation literature, a set of predetermined rs-fMRI region and network functional connectivity features were used to classify the sleep states (sleep deprived/well-rested) of the senior (N = 34, age 65-75) and young adult (N = 41, age 20-30) participants in an archival dataset. The best performing support vector machine model classified the sleep states of the senior adult participants with a 68% accuracy rate. During external validation, this model trained on senior adults demonstrated low transferability to the young adult dataset. Low classification accuracy were reported in models trained on young adult dataset. The theoretical implications of the findings and recommendations for future research were discussed to contribute to a multi-modal understanding of the mechanism of sleep insufficiency as a causal factor of neural vulnerability and inform neurobehavioral interventions.Item Embargo DIGITAL MENTAL HEALTH: MODERATORS AND MECHANISMS OF AN ONLINE MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION(University of Oregon, 2024-12-06) Pettitt, Adam; Allen, NicholasIn the last few decades, digital approaches to mental health treatment has become more prevalent and widespread in an effort to make mental health treatment more accessible to a wider range of individuals. This dissertation aimed to identify and characterize the moderators and mechanisms of a digital mental health intervention (DMHI). Because of the nascent nature of the field, much of the research that has been conducted has focused on if digital mental health interventions are effective. Much of that research has shown it to be on-par with in-person interventions. However, little research has examined the mechanisms by which these interventions are effective. Across five sub-studies, this dissertation sought to elucidate some of the underlying mechanisms for who this DMHI is effective for, how individuals interact with the DMHI, and identify the underlying mechanisms of improvement in symptoms of depression and anxiety. Participants were drawn from a larger sample of individuals who participated in the Meru Health Program, which is a DMHI platform available to the public. Participants underwent an 8-week or 12-week intervention (depending on which version they were given) that focused on therapeutic techniques derived from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, and other evidence-based therapies. Participants were administered demographic questions at the beginning of the intervention and administered depression and anxiety questionnaires at enrolment and every 2 weeks until the end of treatment. The analyses used in this dissertation were mixed-methods ranging from mixed-effects modeling to qualitative thematic analyses aimed at understanding the underlying mechanisms for efficacy within the MHP. Results from Chapter 1 Study 1 revealed that across age, gender, and race, the DMHI was effective for all groups, and in particular (from Chapter 1 Study 2) there was a disproportionate drop in suicidality within gender expansive individuals when compared with cis gender individuals. Additionally, results from Chapter 2 study 1 indicate that participants engaged in messaging with their therapist for a wide array of reasons, including rapport building and solving tech difficulties. Further analyses in Chapter 2 Study 2 revealed that, within the first week, days active within the app was the most predictive of completion of the DMHI. Finally, the results from Chapter 3 demonstrated that improvements in HRV across the DMHI are associated with reductions in depressive symptoms. The implications of these findings and proposed areas for ongoing research are discussed.Item Open Access OIMB Fall Term Photo 2024(2024-11-12) Maya WattsBack row: Sophie Egan, Nolan West, Aidain Correia, Eli Warshaw, Jack Taylor, Jackson Tisdale, Lee Perfetto, George Spano, Nadia Stoker, Elizabeth Wallace Third row: Maya Watts, Kersten Schnurle, Hannah Lammens, Kara Sipes, Alex McGowan, Christine Pearson, Billy James, Gavin Wade, Aubrey Taradash, Hunter Conn Second row: Erin Jezuit, Lizzie Diehl, Claire Jenkins, Alejandra Alvarez, Alex Morrissette, Kayleigh Rampen, Kye Martin, Audrey Lillie, Phoebe Borkus, Richard Emlet, Rowan McLachlan Front row: Nora Terwilliger, Lainie Bell, Elle Hopkins, Thalia Christenson, Shjon Petersen, Mikey Thompson, Charlotte Davis, Fiona Berg-Robinson, Meredith Konig, Anuhea Furuya, Emmi Morton, Fred PradaItem Open Access Chemistry Department News: 2024(University of Oregon, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Chemistry, 2024) Haley, Michael; Salvia, VanessaItem Open Access Test Record 15(2024) Duck, DaisyItem Open Access Test Record 7(2024-09-13) Duck, DaisyItem Embargo Test Record 6(University of Oregon Libraries, 2024-09-13)Item Open Access Fire in the heart of the Oregon Cascades: exceptional variability in fire across the western Cascades(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2024-08) Coughlan, Michael R.; Cummings, Tressa; Derr, Kelly M.; Johnson, Bart R.; Johnston, James D. (James Daniel); Lewis, David G. (David Gene), 1965-Wildland fire is a fundamental forest ecosystem process. However, resilience to wildfires is declining in forests of the western US, in part because of the loss of complex and varied forest structures that can reduce wildfire spread and severity. In the past, Indigenous traditions served the ecological and spiritual needs of human communities and landscapes through land stewardship practices such as cultural burning and selective harvesting of natural resources. We hypothesize that these practices played a critical role in the maintenance of fire regimes and resilience of the forest to catastrophic wildfire and climate change broadly. Displacement and genocide of Indigenous peoples and prohibition of their cultural practices led to the diminishment of cultural burning. This, coupled with fire exclusion and suppression policies by federal and state agencies, has contributed to a decline in forest health and a shift toward less resilient landscapes.Item Open Access Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Data|Media|Digital Graduate Symposium(New Media and Culture Certificate, Division of Graduate Studies, University of Oregon, 2024-04-19) Alshammari, Intisar Sabah; Arangelov, Vasil A.; Parvez, Nishat; Pfeiffer, Genevieve; Ssenkaaba, Stephen; Wilson, Andrew J.; Woldearegay, Emrakeb; Burkert, Mattie; Cox, Courtney; Foxman, MaxwellItem Open Access OIMB Summer Term Photo 2022(2024-08-19) Watts, MayaBack row: Ytxzae Enriquez, Chloe Cummins, Craig Young, Nancy Trenamen, James Johnson, Debbie Seabright, Tristen Berry, Lisa Samuelson, Hannah Kennelly, Doug Warrick, Flynn Gorman, Catalina Rao, Patrick Baker, Gina Magro, Sherlyn Sanchez-Sandoval, Ryan McCarthy, Birch Holt, Ramona Stalick, Mia Bloom, Mya Ganzer Third row: Elijah Reed, Annika Reynolds, Logan Williams, Jim Carlton, Sebastian Velazquez, Kiana Manning, Cassandra Nelson, Isabella Flynn, Katie Mastan, Emily Rhodes, Sarah McGee, Michelle Wallace, McKenzie Lepley, Marty Mccamant, Kelly Bonnville-Sexton, Hunter Conn, Paul Cziko holding Pascal Cziko, Piper Cziko Second row: Sixto Taveras Lopez, Evangelina Schwindt, Colleen Walker, Avery Calhoun, Lauren Rice, Caitlin Plowman, Sydney Weinhardt, Alex Reichardt, Cameron Montagne, Adriana Diaz, Sarah Elden, Kai Walton, Nikita Lewis, Henry Szumski, Zane Baki, Lauren McNamara, Andy Warrick, Doris Munson Front row standing: Maya Watts, Aaron Galloway, Sof Fox, Alicia Matthew, Victoria Cardenas, Claire Warner, Anneliese Bishop-Perdue, Vithika Goyal, Maren Peng, Nadia Stoker, Kate Hurley, Keli Trudeau, Emily Nicholson, Katie Richardson, Maddy Rusk, Tessa Marquez, Tia Lalwani, Shalayna Ewing.Item Embargo Integrating Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills and Parenting for Emotionally Dysregulated Parents: Intervention Development(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Everett, Yoel; Zalewski, MaureenParental emotion dysregulation (ED) is linked to less effective parenting behaviors that are associated with increased child emotional and behavior problems. There is a lack of integrated adult mental health + parenting interventions that can improve these interlinked domains in families experiencing clinical-level symptoms. Integrating Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills with parenting may be a promising, transdiagnostic treatment approach to intervening on parental ED and parenting. This dissertation aimed to advance intervention development in this area.In study 1, an integrated DBT Skills + Parent Training (DBT Skills + PT) group therapy intervention for parents of preschoolers was developed and tested in a case study with dually-dysregulated parent-child dyads. The study used idiographic analyses of repeated measures of parental ED, child ED and parenting quality to evaluate changes throughout treatment. In study 2, the intervention was pilot tested with parents struggling with ED and substance misuse. Study 2 examined changes in parent, child and parenting outcomes, and evaluated feasibility, implementation and acceptability of DBT Skills + PT. Group-level analyses of pre-post effects, idiographic individual-level analyses of cascading effects between parental ED, parenting and child behavior, and qualitative analyses of participant feedback were all conducted. Across both studies, parents reported improvements in their ED, their children’s behavior and emotion regulation, and their parenting, often with large effect sizes. The pattern of changes varied across parents. Some showed a cascading effect and others showed evidence of bidirectional effects of children’s behavior on parent outcomes. Parents had high rates of attendance, good implementation of skills, and found the intervention highly acceptable. Study 3 coded video-recorded sessions of Standard DBT Skills Training for mothers with severe ED to identify skills mothers reported were helpful to improving parenting. Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation skills were useful to increasing positive parenting and Distress Tolerance skills were useful to decreasing negative parenting behaviors. Study 3 findings can aid in selection of DBT Skills to include in an abbreviated version of DBT Skills + PT. Together, these three studies lay the groundwork for a larger scale randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of DBT Skills + PT.Item Embargo The Art of Baking: How QAnon Folk Media Turned Crumbs into a Mass Conspiracy Culture(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Selcer, Leslie; Wood, MaryQAnon’s umbrella conspiracy culture operates through a multi-scaled folk media infrastructure constituted by an array of distinct subcultures. Because QAnon offers a broad variety of online subcultures and corresponding internet communities (each with their own flavor of QAnon), this conspiracist movement has been able to attract and unite a wide variety of audiences without necessarily requiring ideological unity amongst them. In their role as lead interpreters, QAnon influencers position themselves as central nodes around which social media networks and distinct QAnon subcultures form. QAnon meaning-making occurs largely through the collaborative process of “baking”, a term which refers to a variety of do-it-yourself media strategies used to interpret, decode, and spread the esoteric messages (“crumbs”) supposedly embedded in the jumbled posts of the anonymous forum user known as “Q Clearance Patriot”. Baking combines long-standing folkloric traditions—such as the collective production of shared symbols, myths, and vernaculars—with the many formats and platforms offered by social media in order to advance QAnon narratives. QAnon incorporates many pre-existing vernaculars and narratives from both online and offline extremist cultures. First appearing on the infamous /pol/ (“politically incorrect”) board of the anonymous internet forum 4chan, QAnon’s lore draws heavily upon tropes from right-wing internet forum cultures, as well as centuries-old white supremacist myths. QAnon claims to offer truths about widespread abuses of power, while also misdirecting critical attention away from systemic analysis of historical and material configurations of power/domination. Instead, QAnon primarily advances theories of ontological good versus evil, personified by an alleged secret war between good and evil individuals involved in grand conspiracies. QAnon calls for a “Great Awakening” to the many injustices of the world, while simultaneously undermining the idea that oppressive systems like capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy drive many of these injustices. Thus, QAnon defends the ultra-conservative ideologies of hardcore American self-identified patriots (explicitly or implicitly constructed as white/Christian) by reacting against perceived threats of transformation to an imagined vision of the traditional great nation.Item Embargo Making and Unmaking Worlds: Towards Liberation Beyond Subjectivity(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Friaz, Ricardo; Russell, CamishaThis dissertation develops the concept of liberation by questioning what it means to destroy, abolish, and create worlds. I develop a critical position towards agential or subject-based accounts of liberation in order to think through Abolitionist and Decolonial accounts of mourning and collective world-making. I trace the endurance of historical processes of slavery and colonialism and their violent effects today, and I discuss contemporary police torture and migrant camps to reflect on practices of observing world destruction that do not center a subject of liberation. I give a critical account of the contemporary organization of the world around the Cartesian subject, and develop an alternative account of the world by drawing on Spinoza’s account of substance and bodily knowing. I conclude by developing an account of world creation by engaging with Lugones’ account of world-traveling and playfulness along with Winnicott’s theories of the playground and transitional object.Item Embargo Inequality in Shared Micromobility: Global, National, and Local Perspectives(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Meng, Sian; Brown, AnneShared micromobility systems, such as shared bicycles and e-scooters, have seen substantial global growth over the past decade. Although these systems offer affordable, flexible, and environmentally friendly transportation options, their rapid proliferation has raised significant equity concerns. The unequal distribution of shared micromobility services may limit access for the transportation disadvantaged, which could exacerbate the inequalities in the existing transportation system. This dissertation examines inequalities in shared micromobility through three studies at global, national, and local scales. The global-level study utilized world city theory to analyze the establishment and expansion of shared micromobility companies worldwide and employed mixed methods to explain what leads to the inequality in system distribution across cities. This study reveals that shared micromobility industries are associated with the world cities of ride-hailing, advanced producer services, and startups. Factors such as low demand for shared micromobility, unfriendly regulatory environments, and negative public and governmental attitudes towards shared micromobility are the major barriers to the adoption of shared micromobility systems at the city level. The national-level study examines the effects of policies aimed at equalizing resources and opportunities on vehicle and trip inequalities within shared micromobility systems in the US. Resource-equalizing policies for shared micromobility aim to equalize the distribution of shared micromobility vehicles, which directly alleviates inequalities in vehicle distribution and indirectly lessens trip distribution inequalities. In contrast, opportunity-equalizing policies subsidize people with less capability to use shared micromobility, such as low-income, unbanked, and non-tech-savvy people. However, policies for equal opportunity are less effective in addressing inequalities in shared micromobility. The local-level study investigates the impact of introducing shared e-scooters on existing transportation modes—bikeshare, railway, bus, taxi, and ride-hailing—in Chicago’s transportation equity priority areas, where residents face increased mobility barriers. The introduction of shared e-scooters results in distinct effects on different transportation modes between equity priority and non-equity priority areas. In the equity priority area, shared e-scooters significantly boost bikeshare usage and reduce taxi usage. In contrast, in the non-equity priority area, shared e-scooters notably reduce trips by bikeshare, railway, and taxis, but increase ride-hailing trips.Item Embargo Vulnerability in the Avalanche Capital: The Human Dimensions of Avalanche and Landslide Hazard in Juneau, Alaska(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Provant, Zachary; Carey, MarkIn the United States, climate disasters kill thousands of people and cost billions of dollars each year. In 2023, the United States experienced 28 environmental disasters that cost more than one billion dollars each—the most ever in a single year—highlighting the accelerating convergence of climate change and hazard zone development. The cryosphere faces some of the most amplified climatic changes, yet snow hazards continue to receive little attention from social scientists. This dissertation therefore examines snow hazards from avalanches and landslides in downtown Juneau, Alaska, one of the most exposed cities in the country. Using mixed qualitative methods—including interviews, participant observation, document and media analysis, and geospatial analysis—this dissertation draws on Juneau as a case study to advance the existing research on vulnerability in hazard zones. To contribute to vulnerability and unnatural disasters literature, chapters two through four examine the actors, sites, and moments that produce vulnerability and offer three key findings. Chapter 2, “Hazard Zone Conflicts in the Avalanche Capital,” argues that political, economic, and legal conflicts create windows of opportunity for powerful actors to influence the trajectory of hazard management. Chapter 3, “Housing Justice in a Hazard Zone,” argues that not only inequitable city planning and development initiatives create unnatural disasters, but also the process of hazard mitigation itself. Hazard mitigation strategies, such as the 2018-2023 hazard zone mapping project, disproportionately distribute new risks throughout the community. Chapter 4, “Shifting Climate Hazards and the Inertia of Disasters,” argues that the momentum of powerful societal forces, such as longstanding avalanche research programs and public unfamiliarity with landslides, obstructs Juneau’s ability to adapt to climate change and the increasing landslide hazard. While the details in each chapter are contextual and place-based, the broader findings offered in this dissertation are relevant for hazard zones around the world. This dissertation recommends: 1) scientists proactively integrate research on local social dynamics into their hazard and risk studies; and 2) decision-makers prioritize greater equity in the hazard mitigation and climate adaptation process. This dissertation includes previously published coauthored material.Item Embargo TRANSGRESSING THE STAGE: FEMALE XIQU PERFORMERS AT THE TURN OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Deng, Xiaoyan; Chan, RoyThis dissertation explores a previously overlooked aspect of xiqu history - the role of female xiqu performers in fin-de-siècle China. Focusing on the transitional period between the late Qing and the early Republican era (1870-1937), it argues that female xiqu actors were not merely marginal figures but played a crucial role in shaping the stagecraft and culture of xiqu, on par with their male counterparts. The study begins by examining the performances of female xiqu actors in foreign concessions in Shanghai and Tianjin during the late-Qing period. It highlights how these performers demonstrated their exceptional stagecraft, which was comparable to that of the top male performers of the time. This challenges the notion that female performers were inferior in the xiqu tradition. Moving on to the 1910s in Beijing, the dissertation explores the significant contributions of female players like Liu Xikui and Xian Lingzhi. These performers challenged the traditional sheng players of the previous generation, showcasing their talent and pushing the boundaries of gender norms within xiqu. The study then delves into the 1920s, a period when female players such as Zhang Wenyan, alongside nandan stars, formed the first star culture in modern China. This highlights the importance of female performers in shaping the entertainment industry and popular culture of the time. Contrary to popular belief, the dissertation argues that the triumph of Republican nandan stars over their female counterparts was not solely due to the male players’ alleged artistic superiority. Instead, it suggests that various forms of social prejudice against women placed the female actors at a disadvantage in their competition with male players. This sheds light on the complex dynamics of gender and power within the xiqu tradition. Overall, this dissertation aims to rectify the neglect of female xiqu performers in the study of xiqu history. By highlighting their significant contributions and challenging traditional gender roles, it seeks to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the role of women in shaping the stagecraft and culture of xiqu during the Qing-Republic transition.Item Embargo Primordial Narratives: The Jomon Period in Postwar Japanese Literature and Thought(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Strikwerda, Timothy; DiNitto, RachelThis dissertation explores the reasons that Japanese intellectuals and writers reached back to the Jōmon period (12,500-500 BCE) to define Japanese culture in the wake of Imperial Japan’s defeat after World War II. The Jōmon period covers the Stone Age on the Japanese archipelago. Despite leaving no written records, Jōmon period inhabitants produced some of the world’s earliest pottery and left behind a cornucopia of anthropomorphic ceramics that have long fascinated archaeologists. Beginning in the 1950s, however, the discourse surrounding the Jōmon period shifted from a tone of antiquarian curiosity to a more ideologically fraught mode, where the period was recast as a foundational era of Japanese history and culture. Taking this shift in discourse as my departure point, my project examines the ways that the Jōmon period has functioned as a shifting signifier across the postwar period. Drawing equally from cultural studies and intellectual history, I trace the ways prehistory has been used to define modern Japanese identity in texts and media as varied as literary fiction, philosophy, ethnographic travel narratives, and film.