Comparative Cultural Study on "Modernization" Discourse in the 19th and 20th British and Japanese Empires

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K02489
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Literature in English
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: ISE YOSHIO 大阪大学, 言語文化研究科(言語文化専攻), 教授 (80223048)
• Research Collaborator: Rahman Mamunur
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 近代化言説形成 / 植民地文学 / 英国植民地 / 日本植民地

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Gnerally, "Modernization" has been thought to be equivalent to "Westerni-zation". Surely, Europe kicked off Modernization first in the world history, and European (White) people had vigorously promoted it. Through the process of "Modernization", they were changing their subjugated peoples' indigenous societies and cultures by enlightening/educating them as well as building railway and telecommunication systems, and conducting censuses. As a result, the regions of non-Western/white people had been incorporated into the cultural discursive formation of the West as "the Orient". The self-modernized Japan emulated the West and repeated their Imperialism against her surrounding Asian regions.
This research project deals with "Modernization" Discourse in the 19th and 20th British and Japanese Empires and the research outcome is in the process of publishing.

Free Research Field

英国植民地文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

西欧列強諸国が西欧に有利な世界システムを作り上げていく過程で非西欧圏を抑圧し、他者化し、彼らの欲望のおもむくままに非西欧表象を構築していった。しかしながらその過程は単純な「西欧」対「東洋」という図式で割り切れるものではない。本研究ではインドおよび日本からの視点をつき合わせる事で、バランスの取れたパースペクティヴの中でイギリスの世界システム構築の過程と支配地域の土着性の変容を解明し、さらに日本の植民地・近代化モデルを抽出することにより、帝国主義や近代化の特性をより明らかにした。また、現在急速に近代化が進展している中国やインドの今後の方向性を予測する上でも、世界的に重要な意義を持つものである。