Toward a Continental Perpsective: A Transnational Approach to the War of 1812

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03107
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: History of Europe and America
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Hashikawa Kenryu 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 教授 (30361405)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-10-21 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 北アメリカ大陸 / カナダ / アメリカ合衆国 / 1812年戦争

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This Project sought to envision a continental perspective of the War of 1812 (1812-1815) by paying equal attention to both U.S. and Canadian historiographies on the war. In order to unite the two perspetives, the projet focused on A Geographical View of the Province of Upper Canada, written and published by Michael Smith, a late loyalist. This is a book of places, topography and climate for prospective immigrants to the Province of Upper Canada from the U.S. There does not exist any other book of subtantial content about early Canada by a former U.S. citizen.
The project stopped short of its goal due to the need to look into the history of the state of Virginia and its Baptist community, which funded the publication of the fourth edition of Smith's geography book. The project now needs to be pursued in a bifurcated way, one a continued research on Smith and his geography books, the other on an further exploration of Canadian historiography for periods after 1815.

Free Research Field

アメリカ史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

アメリカ合衆国史のみに偏りがちな北アメリカ史の研究を具体的な形で拡大する第一歩として、メキシコ以上に素通りされがちなカナダの側から、アメリカ史を照らす視座を持ち込むことができた。資料を選べば、少なくとも1815年までについては、カナダ史とアメリカ史を同時に並べるにとどまらず、一体的に論じることが可能であることを示せた。脱一国史的な発想と構想から、戦争を戦う対立勢力をまたぐ議論を打ちだす可能性も示すことができた。