Dr. Sean H. McPherson

A former architect and carpenter specializing in Japanese, timber-frame construction, Dr. McPherson teaches courses in global art and architectural history and Asian art history at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. His areas of research include the development of popular religious architecture and sculpture in Early Modern and Modern Japan, architecture in the US by architects of Asian descent, the built environments of Japanese-American Buddhism in the U.S. and the Americas, and issues of class and race in higher education.  A founding faculty member of Bridgewater State University’s Global Art History program, McPherson’s teaching, research and advocacy is focused on exploring neglected aspects of the vernacular cultural landscape, and increasing access to educational and professional opportunities in the arts for state university students. At Bridgewater State University, McPherson is the founding advisor of Gen. One, a student group focused on nurturing cultural capital among first-generation students from working-class and economically challenged backgrounds. Dr. McPherson holds a B.A. in Political Philosophy from Williams College, as well as an M.Arch (2001) and a PhD in Architectural History (2007) from the University of California at Berkeley.