Dr. Iza Kavedžija

Biography

Iza Kavedžija is a social medical anthropologist specializing in Japan, with primary research interests spanning health and well-being, aging and the life course, art, and creativity. She has conducted extensive ethnographic fieldwork with distinct groups of people in the Kansai region of Japan, focusing particularly on independently living older individuals and contemporary artists. Dr. Kavedžija leads an AHRC-funded project titled 'The Work of Art in Contemporary Japan: Inner and Outer Worlds of Creativity' and authored a monograph, 'Making Meaningful Lives: Tales of Aging in Japan,' published in 2019. This monograph explores the lived experiences of aging in urban Japan and how older adults construct meaningful life narratives amidst everyday care practices. Her research emphasizes the interconnectedness of well-being as a dynamic process involving both human and non-human elements, particularly in relation to care. Additionally, she examines the social dimensions of artistic production and collaboration in contemporary Japan, challenging Western notions of the solitary artist. Kavedžija is also a co-investigator on an AHRC Research Network Scheme Grant focused on informal creative practices in Japan. She welcomes applications from students interested in topics of well-being, aging, narratives, and the intersections of art and anthropology.

Research Interests