Sanitary Administration and the Chinese Community in British Hong Kong during the Interwar Period

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K20060
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0103:History, archaeology, museology, and related fields
• Research Institution: Nagoya University of Foreign Studies
• Principal Investigator: Kobori Shingo 名古屋外国語大学, 外国語学部, 講師 (70962413)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-08-31 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 公衆衛生 / 生権力 / 香港 / イギリス帝国 / 中国 / 歴史学 / 近現代

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study shows two significant features of the role of Chinese elites in British Hong Kong. First, the Hong Kong Government had to exercise the “Bio-Power on Health” to improve the sanitary condition with the consent of Chinese elites in the local community. Moreover, the sanitary improvement was limited both by the colonial government and by Chinese elites.
Second, in the election of the members of the “Sanitary Board" during the interwar period, Chinese elites nominated those who was a specialist in modern Western medicine with degrees or diplomas. They insisted that being a specialist was linked to being a "citizen." This meant that Chinese elites sought to identify themselves not only as "representatives of the Chinese community" but also as "surveillants of the Chinese community".

Free Research Field

歴史学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、イギリスの植民地であった香港を対象として、現地の華人社会のエリート層が、どのような形で医療・衛生問題に取り組んだのか、それによって植民地という空間の中で自らをどのような存在として位置付け、どのような政治的・社会的権利を主張したのかを明らかにすることができた。これは、近年の近代植民地研究における「近代／西洋／植民者」と「前近代／現地社会／被植民者」という二項対立を超えた議論に貢献するとともに、新型コロナウィルス感染症のパンデミックを経験した我々が改めて医療・衛生行政が持つ自由と管理の側面を考える上でも有益となる。