Brazell

Karen Brazell, the Goldwin Smith Graduate Professor Emerita of Japanese Literature and Theatre, died Jan. 18 in Ithaca after a brief hospitalization. A renowned scholar in her field, Brazell was also a translator of Japanese literature and an innovator in digital humanities.

Brazell was founder (1998) and director of the Global Performing Arts Consortium, a multilingual digital archive for global performance traditions that was launched when such endeavors were in their infancy.

Brazell, who was born April 25, 1938, earned her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. from Columbia University.

Her many published volumes include the National Book Award winner, "The Confessions of Lady Nijo" (1983), her first book. While Brazell chaired of the Department of Asian Studies (1977-82), she founded the Japanese studies doctoral program and helped strengthen the humanities at the university. She also served as director of the East Asia Program (1987-91), establishing the Cornell East Asia Series of publications. She also served on the Cornell Board of Trustees (1979-83).

In addition, she was the author or co-author of numerous other publications, including "Her Nô as Performance" (1978), which introduced the perspective of performance studies to what had been a predominantly textually oriented field, and "Dance in the Nô Theatre: Dance Analysis." She edited the anthologies "Twelve Plays of the Nô and Kyôgen Theaters" (1988) and "Traditional Japanese Theater" (1999).

She served as visiting professor at University of California-Berkeley, Columbia University, Singapore National University, the National Institute of Japanese Literature in Tokyo and the Kyoto Center for Japanese Studies. Her many awards include Fulbright, National Endowment for the Humanities and Japan Foundation fellowships.

Brazell was was predeceased by husbands George Gibian and Doug Fitchen, both of Ithaca. She is survived by nine children and stepchildren and extended family. A memorial service took place Jan. 21 at Kendall at Ithaca. Memorial donations can be made to the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes, 612 W. State St., Ithaca NY 14850.