2023 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Fontane and colonialism: an assessment in the context of globalism, racism and (world-) literature
| Project/Area Number |
23K00459
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| Research Institution | Hiroshima University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2023-04-01 – 2026-03-31
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| Keywords | 比較文学 / 近代ドイツ文学 / Fontane / 帝国主義批判 |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Firstly, it was necessary to obtain a detailed overview of German colonialism and its political and social background as well as the upheavals it caused. H. Gruener's "Geschichte der deutschen Kolonien" (2018), whose presentation is also enriched by a wealth of useful contemporary material, served this purpose. In the course of further reading, it turned out that it is advisable to first take a look at the popular "Max Havelaar" (1860) by Multatuli in order to outline an initial comparison of Fontane's criticism of colonial policy with other authors at this time. Fontane's most explicit criticism Fontane expressed during his lifetime deals with the Dutch handling of a conflict with the Balinese, and was criticized for its supposed incorrect representation of the true background.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.
Reason
Delay is due to the effort necessary for Kaken project 19K00521.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
It is planned to take a more detailed look at the colonial policies of European countries other than Germany, in particular those of the Netherlands in what is now Indonesia. With regard to Multatuli's novel, it became clear that there are historians who doubt its anti-colonial tendencies (Doel, 2001), an assertion that needs to be scrutinised. Next year's research will therefore focus firstly on evaluating Multatuli's work and secondly on trying to obtain more background information on the Dutch intervention on Lombok, especially from the press that Fontane had access to, in order to properly assess his alleged misinterpretation of the situation on the ground or to find out whether he was not more concerned with criticising the hypocritical justification of colonial policy in general.
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| Causes of Carryover |
I could not go for an extended research abroad., so most of the budget remained. Next year, most of the money will be used for a research trip to Germany, and a smaller amount will be used for books.
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