Professor Iwao Ishino came to MSU as an assistant professor of sociology and anthropology in 1956, was promoted to professor in 1962, and served as chair of the Department of Anthropology from 1969 to 1973. His academic career was characterized by a diversity of experiences that were part of a solid core of scholarly work as a social anthropologist. While he and his family were living in an internment camp in Arizona from 1942-43, Ishino volunteered to conduct surveys that were later used by sociologist Alexander H. Leighton for his 1945 book The Governing of Men. During World War II Ishino served as a social science analyst for the Office of War Information and later with the occupation forces in Japan in the Public Opinion and Sociological Research Division. Dr. Ishino earned his advanced degrees from Harvard (MA in 1953, PhD in 1954). He served as a research associate and assistant professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Ohio State University prior to joining MSU. While at Michigan State he was a professor in the James Madison College, a professor of racial and ethnic studies, and chairman of the Anthropology Department. According to one of Dr. Ishino's colleagues, his teaching style was "such that the impact of his ideas and arguments go deep and slowly gain power." Dr. Ishino left MSU at various times to serve as a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Tokyo (1958-59), the chief of the MSU Ryukyus project (1963-65), and director of the anthropology program in the Division of Social Sciences of the National Science Foundation (1974-75). From 1975-81, Ishino served as assistant dean of International Programs and director of the MSU Institute of Comparative and Area Studies. The latter institute explored development of area studies centers in addition to existing programs in Latin America, Africa, Asia, Russia and Eastern Europe. Professor Ishino was a scholar as well as a teacher. He was the co-author of several books dealing with cultural change in industrial society including Paternalism in the Japanese Economy and American Social Problems. Dr. Ishino retired in 1991 and passed away on February 29, 2012, at the age of 91.
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