HIST 76A: Japanese Imperialism and the East Asian Modern

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Harvard University

Department of History

 

--DRAFT SYLLABUS--

 

JAPANESE IMPERIALISM AND THE EAST ASIAN MODERN

 

Professor Ian Miller

ian_miller@harvard.edu

TIME

LOCATION

 

Explores the role of Japanese imperialism in the making of modern East Asia. By the 1940s Japan's empire stretched from the cold northern woods of Sakhalin Island to Taiwan, Korea, China, and Southeast Asia. We use the analysis of this world-historical force to examine the tensions between modernization and imperialism across the region. Readings will take us from metropolitan Tokyo to Manchurian cities, deep into Korea’s forested mountains, and to the brutal edge of the world’s most destructive war.

 

Absolutely no prior knowledge of Japan or East Asia required. Previous coursework in history or related disciplines may be useful but is not required. If you are not familiar with the broad contours of the region’s history, I will happily introduce you to some helpful readings and talk about them in office hours.

 

Materials will range from new and classic secondary works to propaganda anime and feature-length films. We will also read a small selection of primary sources.

 

Assignments:

 

This course is based on discussion, and we will all read the required readings before class. You are encouraged to look at supplemental readings as well. In addition to active participation in classroom discussions, you will be asked to do the following:

 

• Post a short reading response (“Position Paper”) to the course website by 2PM the day before each meeting (unless otherwise noted). Your post must include at least two questions aimed at the following day’s discussion. You should also make time to read your classmate’s postings—kudos for those who comment and discuss aspects on the course discussion board. Postings should not exceed 500 words unless otherwise noted. 250-300 words is the norm. These are called “Position Papers” on the syllabus as a means of highlighting their purpose: to take a stand on the issues at stake. These are relatively informal and you don’t have to stand by the arguments you make in print when we gather for discussion. These are prompts for thinking through material, nothing more.

 

• Introduce and lead discussion in class one or two times, pending class enrollment. Your presentation will identify one, two, or at most three key themes or arguments in the week’s readings. Presentations will last 7-15 minutes. They might identify central argument(s), illuminate key terms and ideas, or relate the readings to other issues we have encountered in the class. What is the most interesting element in the week’s readings? Why are they important? Where do they suggest areas of further work or exploration? What issues are at stake in these selections? What ties the chapters and articles together or sets them at odds? Presentations will be followed by discussion led by presenter until our daily break. (We will take a short Zoom break in the middle of each class) You are strongly encouraged to read the supplemental readings for the week you present—one successful strategy might be to focus your presentation on those readings.

 

• A final paper of 17-22 pages (double-spaced, 12pt., Times New Roman font, standard margins, formatted according to Chicago Manual of Style; please use footnotes; bibliography does not count in page count) due at 5PM, May 4 on both the course Canvas site and via e-mail to ian_miller@harvard.edu. Topic and content of your final project will depend on your interests and availability of materials. Two basic approaches are most likely: 1) a historiographical review essay on a particular topic or approach in the field (modeled on similar publications in various academic journals), 2) a research paper on a theme related to Japanese imperialism.

 

• A set of intermediate assignments aimed at the final paper: 1) an annotated bibliography of at least 8 items, secondary or primary (due 2PM Fri., Mar. 26 on course website); 2) a short paragraph defining your tentative argument or research question (due 2PM Fri. Apr. 9 on course website); 3) a short 1-page outline of your paper (due 2PM Fri. Apr. 16 on course website). Evaluation for these items will be focused on effort and timeliness. Their purpose is to help you finish the class successfully.

 

 

Requirements and Grading:

 

Active and thoughtful participation is crucial to success in this course. I believe and expect that each of us has something of value to contribute to the conversation. If you have questions about how to engage in class, please come to talk to me. A good question can be as valuable as the most stunning critical insight.

           

            Attendance and participation:                                                                 30%

            Web responses:                                                                                     20%

            In-class presentation and discussion:                                                      15%

            Final paper:                                                                                          25%

            Final paper preliminary assignments (bibliography, thesis, outline):         10%

 

Attendance is not optional, but I recognize the ways that the pandemic can reshape schedules. If you need to miss one class, please notify me before class by e-mail, and you may miss. Documented emergencies, of course, will not be counted as absences in line with College policy. Additional unexcused or undocumented emergencies will reduce final grades for the class by one level, e.g. A- to B+. All work assigned on the syllabus must be completed in order to receive a final grade for the course.

 

 

Note on Pronunciation:

 

Vowels in Japanese are pronounced approximately as in Italian (they are pure vowels).  Hence pasta, pesto, and tutti frutti should get you through most words.  Alternatively:

 

a as in father

e as in et cetera

i  as in magazine

o as in note

u as in flute

 

Vowels with macrons (â, ê, î, ô, û) are held longer than those without, but their sound values remain unchanged.  The distinction is important.  For example:  kôshô means “negotiations,” while koshô means “broken.” …but, really, just do your best…this isn’t a language class!

 

Assistance Outside of Class:

 

Every student must meet with me in office hours once within the first 4 weeks of class. My office hours are linked on my History Department webpage. Please use the “academic office hours” link unless you are a Cabot House student. If there are no spots available, please e-mail. My assistant, Jenni Ting, is there if something is urgent. Her e-mail is wting@fas.harvard.edu.

 

Course Materials:

 

All assigned materials will be scanned or linked on the course website. This may take some time. Please let me know ASAP if you find issues with a reading.

 

Week 1 ()                     INTRODUCTION TO JAPAN’S EMPIRE

 

Very little reading this first week. Please use the time to read Peattie and to run through the course website. I’ve recommended the first selection from Oguma Eiji’s Genealogy for this week and for next. It’s a good read, especially for those who are somewhat new to the area.

 

Mark R. Peattie, “Introduction” in The Japanese Colonial Empire, 1895-1945, pp. 3-52.

 

Supplementary Reading:

 

(highly recommended): Oguma, Eiji. A Genealogy of 'Japanese' Self-images [Hereafter: Oguma], Part 1: pp. 3-53

 

Position Paper: Introduce yourself on the course discussion board. Special bonus points for posts that include fish jokes.

 

Week 2 ()                     WHERE, WHEN, AND HOW TO BEGIN?

 

Peter Duus, “Part One: The Japanese Discovery of America” in The Japanese Discovery of America (henceforth JDA), pp. 1-42

 

Eskildsen, Robert. "Of Civilization and Savages: The Mimetic Imperialism of Japan's 1874 Expedition to Taiwan." The American Historical Review 107, no. 2 (2002): 388-418.

 

David Howell, "Making 'Useful Citizens' of Ainu Subjects in Early Twentieth-Century Japan" The Journal of Asian Studies 63, no. 1 (2004), pp. 5-29.

 

Primary Sources:

 

Fukuzawa Yukichi from Seijō jijō and Benmei no gairyaku in JDA, 185, 186-190.

 

Fukuzawa Yukichi, “Good-bye Asia (Datsu-a, 1885,” in Lu, Japan: A Documentary History, vol. 2, pp. 351-353.

 

Supplementary Reading:

 

W.G. Beasley, “Introduction: Explanations of Imperialism” in Japanese Imperialism, 1894-1945 (henceforth JI), pp. 1-13.

 

(highly recommended): Oguma, Eiji. A Genealogy of 'Japanese' Self-images [Hereafter: Oguma], Part 1: pp. 3-53

 

Position Paper: Where and when did Japanese imperialism begin? Based on your readings, how would you frame the origins of Japanese imperialism, and what is at stake in your choice?

 

Week 3 ():                    IDENTITY AND EMPIRE IN TAIWAN AND KARAFUTO

 

*Have you met with Professor Miller in office hours yet?

 

Leo T.S. Ching, “Colonizing Taiwan” in Becoming “Japanese”, pp. 15-50

 

Tessa Morris-Suzuki, “Becoming Japanese: Imperial Expansion and Identity Crises in the Early Twentieth Century,” in Sharon A. Minichiello, ed., Japan’s Competing Modernities, pp. 157-180.

 

Robert Thomas Tierney, “From Taming Savages to Going Native: Self and Other on the Taiwan Aboriginal Frontier” in Tropics of Savagery: The Culture of Japanese Empire in Comparative Perspective, pp. 38-77.

 

Supplementary Reading:

 

W.G. Beasley, “The Peace Settlement with China, 1894-1896” and “New Imperialism and

the War with Russia, 1895-1905” in JI, pp. 55-68 and 69-84.

 

Yao Ren-to, “The Japanese Colonial State and its Forms of Knowledge” in Taiwan Under Japanese Colonial Rule, 1895-1945: History, Culture, Memory (New York: Columbia University Press, 2006), 37-61.

 

Position Paper: How would you characterize the relationship between identity and empire in these readings? You may write from any vantage you wish, but our focus is on the relationship between (self-)perception and power.

 

Week 4 ():                    ECONOMY AND ASSIMILATION IN COLONIAL KOREA

 

Mark Caprio, “Western Assimilation Practices” and “Japan’s Development of Internal and Peripheral Assimilation” in Japanese Assimilation Policies in Colonial Korea, 1910-1945, pp. 19-80.

 

Peter Duus, “Capturing the Market” in The Abacus and the Sword, pp. 245-288.

 

Kimura Mitsuhiko. “Standards of Living in Colonial Korea: Did the Masses Become Worse Off or Better Off under Japanese Rule?” Journal of Economic History vol. 53, no. 3 (1993), pp. 629-652. [Available online: JSTOR]

 

Primary Source:

 

Komatsu Midori, “The Old People and the New Government” (1912): http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/korea/komatsu_new_govt.pdf

 

Supplemetary Reading:

 

W.G. Beasley, “Intervention in Korea, 1894-1895” in JI, pp. 41-54.

 

Position Paper: Primary source analysis, Komatsu Midori’s “The Old People and the New Government”. Place this document in historical context and explicate any salient aspect. Target c. 500 words; max. 800 words.

 

Week 5 ():                    CAPITAL AND COLONIALISM IN KOREA

 

Carter Eckert, “Part I: The Rise of Korean Capitalism”, “Class Over Nation: Naisen Ittai and the Korean Bourgeoisie,” and “Conclusion: The Colonial Legacy” in Offspring of Empire, 1-59, 224-259. (Skim as necessary)

 

Janice C. H. Kim, “The Varieties of Women’s Wage Work in Colonial Korea,” The Review of Korean Studies 10:2 (June 2007). pp. 119-145.

 

Primary Source:

 

“Drafted to the Kobe Shipyards—Chöng Chaesu” in Under the Black Umbrella, 123-129.

 

Supplementary Reading:

 

Andre Schmid, “Colonialism and the ‘Korea Problem’ in the Historiography of Modern Japan,” The Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 59, no. 4 (Nov., 2000), pp. 951-976 [Available online: JSTOR]

 

Position Paper: Eckert’s Offspring of Empire is quite controversial in certain circles in Korea and elsewhere. Why might this be the case? What is at stake in his assertions—and what do you make of them?

 

Week 6 ():                    COLONIAL MODERNITY

 

Tani E. Barlow, “Colonial Modernity: An Introduction,” in Formations of Colonial Modernity in East Asia, 1-20; Alan Christy, “The Making of Imperial Subjects in Okinawa”, pp. 141-170.

 

Gi-Wook Shin and Michael Robinson (eds.), Colonial Modernity in Korea (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999), pp. 1-20 (Shin and Robinson), pp. 52-69 (Robinson), pp. (Yang), and pp. 336-362 (Em).

 

Primary Sources:

 

“Oral Histories of the Colonial Era”: http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/korea/colonial_experiences.pdf

 

Position Paper: Pro or Con: “Colonial modernity” is a useful rubric for understanding the development of modernity in East Asia.

 

Week 7 ():                    ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND THE FRONTIERS OF EMPIRE

 

Sakura Christmas, “Japanese Imperialism and Environmental Disease on a Soy Frontier, 1890-1940,” Journal of Asian Studies, (Aug. 2019), pp. 809-836. [Available on JSTOR]

 

David Fedman, “Introduction” and “Imperializing Forestry” in Seeds of Control: Japan’s Empire of Forestry in Colonial Korea, pp.

 

Ruth Rogaski, “Vampires in Plagueland: The Multiple Meanings of Weisheng in Manchuria,” in Health and Hygiene in Chinese East Asia: Policies and Publics in the Long Twentieth Century (Durham: Duke University Press, 2011), 132-159.

 

Supplementary Reading:

 

(Highly recommended): William Tsutsui, “Japan’s Pelagic Empire” in Japan at Nature's Edge

 

Looking ahead to 3/25, when we will discuss it, you might want to watch “Momotarō Umi no Shinpei” this week. Better version coming, but for now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdzrgJA_iWA

 

You might also enjoy watching Momotarō take on the Mighty Mouse! “Momotarō tai Mikki Mausu”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFGtgp5A9ZA 

 

Position Paper: Open season. No set theme.

 

Week 8 ():                    TOTAL EMPIRE AND TOTAL WAR I

 

Prasenji Duara, “Imperialism and Nationalism in the Twentieth Century” in Sovereignty and Authenticity, pp. 9-41.

 

Louise Young, “Manchukuo and Japan,” “War Fever,” and “Brave New Empire” in Japan’s Total Empire, pp. 3-20, 55-114, 241-303, respectively. (You may wish to skim either “War Fever” or “Brave New Empire”)

 

Primary Sources:

 

Selections from “Empire and War” in De Bary et al. eds., Sources of Japanese Tradition, vol. 2 (henceforth SJT), pp. 983-991. (Includes Konoe Fumimaro’s “Against A Pacifism Centered on England and America,” Ishihara Kanji’s “Personal Opinion on the Manchuria-Mongolia Problem,” and Hashimoto Kingorô’s “Addresses to Young Men.”)

 

Yasaka Takaki. World Peace Machinery and the Asia Monroe Doctrine. Pacific affairs, 1932-11-01, Vol.5 (11), p.941-953 [Available on JSTOR]

 

Continue watching (finish by 3/25): “Momotarō Umi no Shinpei” this week. Better version coming, but for now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdzrgJA_iWA

Supplementary Reading:

W.G. Beasley, “Japan’s New Order in North-east Asia” in JI, 198-219.

Position Paper: “What’s a Manshūkoku?” Pro or Con: Manchukuo was a nation-state.

 

Week 9 ():                    TOTAL EMPIRE AND TOTAL WAR II

 

*Annotated bibliography due 2PM Fri., Mar. 26

 

John Dower, “Global Policy with Yamato Race as Nucleus” in War Without Mercy, pp. 262-290.

 

T.Fujitani, “Ethnic and Colonial Soldiers and the Politics of Disavowal” and Race for Empire: Koreans as Japanese and Japanese as Americans during World War II (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011).

Ian Jared Miller, “The Great Zoo Massacre” in The Nature of the Beasts.

 

Primary Source:

 

“Proceedings of the Assembly of the Great East Asiatic Nations” in Contemporary Japan (Nov. 1943), pp. 1337-1386. (Skim as necessary) [Available in Course Documents online]

 

Finish watching: Continue watching: “Momotarō Umi no Shinpei” this week. Better version coming, but for now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdzrgJA_iWA

 

Supplementary Reading:

 

W.G. Beasley, “The Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere” in JI, pp. 233-250.

 

Andrew Gordon, Labor and Imperial Democracy in Prewar Japan, Ch. 2, pp.

 

Position Paper: How do you think we should understand the relationship between the history of Japanese imperialism and the history of the Second World War in the Pacific? Was this, for example, an imperial war, an anti-imperial war, or something else?

 

Week 10 ():                  SEX, GENDER, WOMEN AND EMPIRE

 

Sabine Frustuck, “Breeding the Japanese ‘Race’” in Colonizing Sex: Sexology and Social Control in Modern Japan, pp. 152-184.

 

Jennifer Robertson, “Performing Empire” in Takarazuka, pp. 89-138.

 

Sarah Soh, “Gender, Class, Sexuality and Labor under Japanese Colonialism and Imperialist War” and “From Multiple Symbolic Representations to the Paradigmatic Story” and “Japan’s Military Comfort System as History” in The Comfort Women, pp. 1-142. (You may skim this reading, especially the introductory chapter)

 

Supplementary Reading:

 

Nitobe Inazo, “Preface to the First Edition,” “Introduction (authored by William Elliott Griffis [sic])” and “Chapter I:  Bushido as an Ethical System” in Bushido: The Soul of Japan, xi-xiv, xv-xxii, 1-10.  [Available online at: http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/bsd/index.htm]

 

Position Paper: How do you think we should characterize the role of gender and biological sex when we write the history of Japanese imperialism?

 

Week 11 ():                  DE-COLONIZATION AND IMPERIAL AMNESIA

 

* Short paragraph on final paper argument due 2PM Fri. Apr. 9

 

Miriam Kadia, “From ‘Race’ to ‘Culture’” in Into the Field: Human Scientists of Transwar Japan, 94-118.

 

Sherzod Muminov, “From Imperial Revenants to Cold War Victims: ‘Red Repatriates’ from the Soviet Union and the Making of the New Japan, 1949-1952.” Cold War History 17:4 (2017), pp. 425-442.

 

Lori Watt, “Introduction” and “New Maps of Asia” in When Empire Comes Home:  Repatriation and Reintegration in Postwar Japan, pp. 1-55. You may also wish to skim: “The Co-Production of the Repatriate, 1945-1949” in Watt’s book.

 

Memoir:

 

Memoir: Manchurian Legacy Excerpts chs. 8-11, (50 pages—skim as necessary)

 

Supplementary Reading (esp. for those who may not know abou the US Occupation):

 

John Dower, “Introduction,” “Gifts from Heaven,” “Cultures of Defeat,” “Neocolonial Revolution,” and “Embracing Revolution” in Embracing Defeat, pp. 19-30, 65-84, 121-167, 203-224, 225-253. (Skim as necessary)

 

Position Paper: Post 2 questions for discussion. Otherwise, no position paper this week. Please focus on your final projects.

 

Week 12 ():                  WELLNESS DAY

 

*One-page outline of final paper due 2PM Fri. Apr. 16

 

You may wish to watch this marvelous film ahead of next week’s discussion: City of Sadness (available https://youtu.be/Aolv8k99ZOU)

 

Week 13 ():                  EMPIRE AFTER EMPIRE?

 

Peter Dauvergne, Shadows in the Forest, Intro and Ch. 1.

 

Hiromi Mizuno "A Kula Ring for the Flying Geese: Japan's Technology Aid and Postwar Asia"

in Engineering Asia, pp. 1-40.

 

Aaron Moore, “From ‘Constructing’ to ‘Developing’ Asia—Japanese Engineers and the Formation of Postcolonial, Cold War Discourse of Development in Asia,” in Engineering Asia, pp. 85-112.

 

Primary Source:

Yoko Kitazawa. From Tokyo to Johannesburg: A Study of Japan's Growing Economic Links

with the Republic of South Africa

https://africanactivist.msu.edu/document_metadata.php?objectid=32-130-CF

 

Supplemental Reading:

Kwame Nkrumah. Neo-Colonialism, the Last Stage of imperialism, 1965 (Intro)

https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/nkrumah/neo-colonialism/introduction.htm

 

Position Paper: Commentators and others often talk about “neo-colonialism.” Do you find this category of analysis useful? Why or why not? In relation to what particular dynamics?