Exoticism and the Spread of Disease on Pacific Islands
| Project/Area Number |
21K00444
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 02040:European literature-related
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| Research Institution | Nihon University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Project Status |
Granted (Fiscal Year 2022)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,030,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥930,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥2,210,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥510,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
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| Keywords | exoticism / Pacific islands / colonialism / Exoticism / Pacificism / German literature / German history |
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| Outline of Research at the Start |
In the 18th and 19th century, European seafarers imagined Pacific Islands as an erotic paradise. The "girl of the island" became an allegory of the Pacific. However, together with this exoticist imagination, venereal diseases arrived on the islands and lead to a demographic catastrophe. The research of this project will investigate the connection between exoticism and the spread of disease on Pacific islands. It will critically discuss the consequences of exoticism for the local population and for the development of a politics of racial hygiene at the beginning of the 20th century.
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
I co-organized an international conference on exoticism (June 3-5, 2022), with 23 speakers at Sophia University. We will include selected contributions in an anthology, to be published by Fink (Germany) in 2023. For the book, I prepared an introductory history of the concept of exoticism from the 18th century to the present. While Anglo-Saxon post-colonialism sharply criticizes exoticism, the Francophone tradition celebrates exoticism as an art of living. I also elaborated a study on sexual exoticism comparing Pierre Loti and Robert Mueller against the background of the spread of venereal diseases on Pacific islands. Archival studies in Europe have shown that medical discourse functions as a counter-discourse to sexual exoticism. Exoticism thus turns out to be a highly controversial field.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.
Reason
Since my proposal for a new edition of Robert Mueller's novella "The Girl of the Island" (1919) has been rejected, I am looking for a new publisher. 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of Robert Mueller's death. I hope that the forthcoming commemorative year will also bring renewed attention to this author. My studies on the Marshall Islands during the German colonial period have not progressed to the extent expected because of restrictions on access to the Berlin Federal Archives.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
In 2023, I am planning to continue my research at the German Federal Archives on the colonization and the exoticist imagination of the Pacific while presenting the results at meetings and conferences. We would like to present the anthology on exoticism at a conference at Meiji University in early November. The plan for February 2024 field studies in the Marshall Islands is still pending. The implementation of this project is not only dependent on the success of the preparatory research, but also on overcoming various obstacles to travel. At the center of the stay on the island of Majuro should be research in the Alele Museum. The library houses an extensive collection of historical photographs (de Brum collection).
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Report
(2 results)
Research Products
(19 results)
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[Journal Article] G. Aly: Das Prachtboot2021
Author(s)
Thomas Schwarz
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Journal Title
H-Soz-Kult. Kommunikation und Fachinformation fuer die Geschichtswissenschaften, https://www.hsozkult.de/review/id/reb-97653?title=g-aly-das-prachtboot
Volume: 0
Pages: 0-0
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