Inter-Imperial Network in the Pacific: A histroical study on migrations of Japanese people and coffee

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24720284
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Historical studies in general
• Research Institution: Sophia University
• Principal Investigator: IIJIMA Mariko 上智大学, 外国語学部, 准教授 (10453614)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: コーヒー栽培史 / 帝国間移動 / ハワイ / 台湾 / 日本人移民史 / アジア太平洋 / ネットワーク / ディアスポラ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research project demonstrates how the inter-imperial network contributed to the development of coffee production in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation. The inter-imperial network played a significant role in transporting coffee plants and production skills into Taiwan, a part of the Japanese Empire, from Hawai'i under the control of the US Empire. It also proved that the movements of Japanese people who were involved in coffee farming in Hawai'i helped establish this network.
This research attempts to provide a new perspective in the fields of Japanese Imperial History and Immigration History. Both historical studies oftentimes examine movements within or to the outside an empire, whereas movements between one empire to the other empire have been rather disregarded. Therefore, by focusing inter-imperial network, this research has revealed multi-directional and trans-imperial migrations of people, skills, knowledge and capital in the pre-war Pacific region.

Free Research Field

歴史学