EASC Colloquium

PRESENTER: Yosuke Nirei (Indiana University, South Bend )

TOPIC: Globalism and Liberal Expansionism in Meiji Protestant Discourse: Uchimura Kanzō and His Journalistic Milieu

Date: Friday, September 23, 2011

TIME: 12:00-1:15 p.m.
LOCATION: Ballantine 004

(Light refreshments will be served. You are also welcome to bring your own lunch.)

 

This talk discusses the domestic moral and cultural reformism and the liberal expansionist discourses of leading Japanese Protestant journalists at the turn of the twentieth century. It gives special attention to Uchimura Kanzō and examines his important theoretical relationships with the leading proponents of imperialism at the time, such as Tokutomi Sohō, Yamaji Aizan, and Takekoshi Yosaburō. Reflecting Uchimura’s enormous national standing in post-WWII Japan, there is a large body of biographical studies about him. However, very few examine Uchimura’s expansionist discourse and his attitude toward imperialism or his connections with other intellectuals. The talk intends to question the scholarly conventions and interpretations established for the study of Uchimura and many prominent Meiji Protestants.

Yosuke Nirei is Assistant Professor of History at Indiana University South Bend. He completed his doctorate in history at the University of California at Berkeley with his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Sophia University, Tokyo, in English language and American / Canadian studies and international relations. He specializes in modern Japanese history, and is currently working on a book manuscript titled, Ethics of Empire: Protestant Christianity, Moral Culture, and Imperialism in Meiji Japan.

Persons with disabilities interested in attending our events who may require assistance, please contact us in advance at (812) 855-3765.