East Asia and the Borderland of the Liberal Order: A Regional History
| Project/Area Number |
23K01280
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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 06020:International relations-related
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| Research Institution | Waseda University |
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Principal Investigator |
舒 旻 早稲田大学, 国際学術院, 准教授 (20534986)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2023-04-01 – 2026-03-31
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| Project Status |
Granted (Fiscal Year 2023)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000)
Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2024: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
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| Keywords | East Asia / liberal order / borderlands history / regional history / self-determination / anti-communism / neoliberalism / universal human rights / International Order / Liberalism / Borderlands History / Cold War |
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| Outline of Research at the Start |
This research project aims to chart the complex history of East Asia’s engagement with the liberal (international) order. Focusing on the borderland dynamics of the liberal order, it seeks to understand the repeated emergence of liberal contestation in East Asia. It uses the analytical framework of borderlands history, and examines four historical cases: (i) the hijacked Philippine independence movement (1890s-1900s), (ii) the failed state of South Vietnam (1950s-1970s), (iii) Japan’s abandoned proposal of the AMF (1990s), and (iv) the Rohingya’s plight in democratic Myanmar (2010s).
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This research seeks to understand the borderland dynamics of liberal contestation in East Asia. It considers East Asia as a borderland region of the liberal (international) order, and examines the impact of four order-shaping liberal values in East Asian history: self-determination, anti-communism, neoliberalism and universal human rights. Combining case studies and macro-history analysis, I aim to uncover the evolution of political contestation on the liberal borderlands, and recast the regional history of East Asia through its complex engagement with the liberal order.
In the academic year of 2023, my research has focused on three aspects. First, I develop an analytical framework to identify the geopolitical configuration of liberal borderlands in four historical periods: prewar liberal imperialism, Cold War liberal confrontation, post-Cold War liberal hegemony, and post-hegemonic liberal contestation. Second, I examine the confrontation, compromise and conciliation along the liberal borderlands, with a goal of theorizing the borderland dynamics of liberal contestation. Third, efforts are made to collect primary and secondary research on the four case studies, and to prepare for the fieldwork in Southeast Asia.
In terms of research outcomes, I presented the preliminary outcomes of my research at the Annual Conferences of JACP in Yamanashi, the ISA-AP regional conference in Tokyo, and the Annual Conference of JAIR in Fukuoka. In addition, I invited Prof. REN Xiao (Fudan University) to Waseda University to discuss his works on the history of international studies in China.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
While this research project is the first attempt to chart East Asia’s complex engagement with the liberal (international) order, I have managed to develop a broadly structured analytical framework in the first year to bring together the four case studies of liberal contestation against their diversified national environments and historical contexts. I presented the initial analysis based on this framework at three major academic conferences in 2023. The feedback was quite encouraging.
Meanwhile, I have proceeded to collect primary sources and secondary literature on the four case studies. The preliminary research fieldwork was implemented in China, while some other planned fieldwork was postponed due to logistical constraints. It is hoped that the delay would allow extra time for careful preparation and good implementation in the following years.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
In the academic year of 2024, I plan to push forward with my research in three areas. First, I will conduct fieldwork interviews and library research in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, collecting additional primary and secondary information on the four case studies. Second, I will continue the effort to theorize the borderland dynamics of liberal contestation in contemporary East Asia. Third, I am going to write conference papers and research reports on borderlands history of the liberal order. Some of them will be presented at the Annual Conferences of American Political Science Association (APSA) in 2024 and the Asian Studies Association (AAS) in 2025.
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Report
(1 results)
Research Products
(4 results)
