Born on 18 June 1951 in the United States, C. Andrew Gerstle studied Japanese culture at Columbia University, graduating in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
He was appointed to a lectureship at the Australian National University in 1980, and was promoted to Professor of Japanese nine years later.
He was also director of the Arts and Humanities Research Council Centre for Asian and African Studies at SOAS from 2000 to 2005.
[2][3][4] According to his British Academy profile, Gerstle's research focuses on "The cultural and social history of 17th–19th century Japan, with particular reference to Bunraku and Kabuki theatres, popular literature, sexuality and the visual arts".
[5] In 2013, he organised a project which resulted in the "Shunga: sex and pleasure in Japanese art" exhibition at the British Museum.