Asian History Commons^™

Alegal: Biopolitics And The Unintelligibility Of Okinawan Life, Annmaria M. Shimabuku

Sociology

Okinawan life, at the crossroads of American militarism and Japanese capitalism, embodies a fundamental contradiction to the myth of the monoethnic state. Suspended in a state of exception, Okinawa has never been an official colony of the Japanese empire or the United States, nor has it ever been treated as an equal part of Japan. As a result, Okinawans live amid one of the densest concentrations of U.S. military bases in the world. By bringing Foucauldian biopolitics into conversation with Japanese Marxian theory, Alegal uncovers Japan’s determination to protect its middle class from the racialized sexual contact around its mainland …

After The Fall: Tsuji Zennosuke And The Creation Of Bukkyōshugi Kokushi, James Mark Shields

Faculty Journal Articles

Tsuji Zennosuke 辻善之助 (1877–1955), the dominant figure in Buddhist historical scholarship in Japan from the 1930s until the mid-1950s, is known to have employed a broad range of sources in order to provide a comprehensive analysis of his subject. This essay examines Tsuji’s conception of Buddhist history in relation to the emer- gence of both National Historical Studies (kokushigaku 国史学) and so-called State Shintō (kokka shintō 国家神道) and argues against the image of Tsuji as an “objec- tive historian” resistant to nationalist trends in historical scholarship. In fact, Tsuji was involved in the creation of an alternative, “Buddhistic” national history, …

The Colonized Masculinity And Cultural Politics Of Seediq Bale, Chin-Ju Lin

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article, “The Colonized Masculinity and Cultural Politics of Seediq Bale,” Chin-ju Lin discusses a Taiwanese blockbuster movie, a postcolonial historiography and a form of life-writing, which delineates the last Indigenous insurrection against Japanese colonialism. This article explores the cultural representations in Seediq Bale. Fighting back as a colonized man for pride and dignity is portrayed as means to restore their masculine identity. The headhunting tradition is remembered, romanticized, praised highly as heroic and even strengthened in an inaccurate way to promote individualistic masculinity and to forge a new national identity in postcolonial Taiwan. Nevertheless, the stereotypical …

A War Won In The Skies: Air Superiority In The Second World War, Chandler Dugal

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This paper studies the impact that air superiority had on the outcome of the Second World War in both the European and Pacific theaters of war, and argues that it was the determining factor in the outcome of the conflict. The paper outlines both the tactical and strategic aspects of air-power along the respective 'fronts'. In addition, the relative quantitative and qualitative strength of the air forces of the belligerent nations are discussed, along with their aircraft production and technological capabilities.

Battlefield Mementos Care Of And Restitution Of Japanese 'Good Luck Flags' And Cultural Heritage Objects From War In Museum Collections, Andrew Armstrong

Master's Projects and Capstones

In World War II one of the most common objects found on the battlefield in the Pacific Theater was that of the Japanese Yosegaki Hinomaru or “Good Luck Flag” These objects were some of the most looted items from the war and soon found themselves in the possession of veterans of World War II and their families. In the past few decades as these veterans pass, increasing numbers of veterans and their families attempt to return the flags to Japan, or museums in the United States, believing they are the most suited to care for such objects. However this presents …

Contrasting Developments Of Chinese Characters In Contemporary Japan And Korea, Emily Qiyan Lu

3 Minute Thesis Competition

No abstract provided.

The Shortcomings Of The Philosopher President: Sun Yat-Sen’S Provisional Presidency Of 1912, Sean Gray

History & Classics Student Scholarship

As the twentieth century began, the Qing dynasty found itself besieged by foreign powers. Critically examining these powers, such as the United States and Great Britain, Chinese thinkers found themselves in a paradox regarding the country’s future. On one hand, China could adhere to Confucian tradition, rebuke Western ideals, and maintain its distinct culture. On the other, these foreign nations had swept into China, pillaged its treasuries, and slaughtered its armies. These nations clearly had great power, which some argued stemmed from their modernization and political structure. To modernize, these would-be revolutionaries thought that the country should adopt Western principles. …

Judicializing History: Mass Crimes Trials And The Historian As Expert Witness In West Germany, Cambodia, And Bangladesh, Rebecca Gidley, Mathew Turner

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Henry Rousso warned that the engagement of historians as expert witnesses in trials, particularly highly politicized proceedings of mass crimes, risks a judicialization of history. This article tests Rousso’s argument through analysis of three quite different case studies: the Frankfurt Auschwitz trial; the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia; and the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh. It argues that Rousso’s objections misrepresent the Frankfurt Auschwitz trial, while failing to account for the engagement of historical expertise in mass atrocity trials beyond Europe. Paradoxically, Rousso’s criticisms are less suited to the European context that represents his purview, and apply more …

North Korea’S Nuclear Program And Negotiation: How Nuclear Negotiation During The Clinton Years Produced Lessons For Current International Relations, Brian Hilliker

Senior Honors Theses

North Korea’s road of survival began in the aftermath of World War II, when the United States and the Soviet Union sparred over rival ideologies. Ultimately, Korea split into a free south and an authoritarian north. Over seventy years later, North Korea remains a bastion of communism. Nuclear weaponry is a factor behind North Korea’s survival, and the history of their program can offer insight for American policy makers today. This paper offers a history of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program during the Clinton presidency, along with recommendations for present day policy makers. Without an understanding of history decision-makers tend …

Sabbatical Leave Proposal And Report, Umeeta Sadarangani

Sabbaticals

Specific Goals of the Proposed Sabbatical Leave

• To continue transcribing interviews with Sindhis in India about their experience of life in Sind before, during, and immediately after the 1947 Partition.
• To identify patterns among the interviews and written narratives. To follow up on interviews and to interview some of those who have submitted written narratives. T
• To read intensively about the Partition, Sind, and Sindhi culture, and to read about creative non-fiction writing, especially memoir writing.
• To write a work of creative nonfiction about what I learn, with the goal of sharing it with my students in classes and eventually …

Collecting Oral History In An Academic Library: The Cr/10 Project, Sandi Ward

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

Haldore Hanson In China, The 80th Anniversary: A Case Study Of A Digitization Project, Kristi Wermager, Hsianghui Liu-Spencer

Journal of East Asian Libraries

Carleton College is home to a collection of photographs, Haldore Hanson’s China Collection (1937-1938), that an alumnus took in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. In 2008 Carleton staff digitized the China Collection and made it available to researchers online. In our paper, we introduce the Collection and discuss its historical significance, in particular for the history of guerrilla warfare during the early days of the conflict. Following our introductory overview of the Collection, we report on our use of web usage mining to track use of the Collection over the last ten years. We also discuss the …

Book Review: Nguyen, N. H. C. (2016). South Vietnamese Soldiers: Memories Of The Vietnam War And After. Santa Barbara, Ca: Praeger. 289 Pp. Isbn: 978-1-4408-3241-3, Mark Edward Pfeifer

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

Book review by Mark Pfeifer: Nguyen, N. H. C. (2016). South Vietnamese Soldiers: Memories of the Vietnam War and After. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger. This work consists of oral histories of Vietnamese residing in Australia who served with the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces (RVNAF) in the Vietnam War era.

Live Confucian: The Newsletter Of The Confucius Institute At Pace University Fall 2018, Confucius Institute

Live Confucian

A newsletter of the Confucius Institute, Pace University.

The Confucius Institute at Pace Universi­ty is dedicated to providing Chinese lan­guage and cultural education, resources,and services to meet the needs of people from all backgrounds.

Male Same-Sex Relations In Socialist China, Wenqing Kang

History Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Vietnam: A War With Two Fronts, Justin D. Winkel

Student Publications

The Vietnam War is viewed by many historians as a turning point in American war memory. Never before had there been such an outstanding opposition to a military endeavor by the United States' own citizens, government officials, soldiers, and veterans. Drawing from the first hand accounts of PFC Steven Warner and the work of numerous historians, this paper offers an examination into the ways in which some high profile events of the Vietnam War (such as the Cambodia Campaign and the Kent State Shootings) created an environment that negatively impacted United States soldiers and veterans of the Vietnam War.

A Monument To Culture And Achievement: The Samurai Suit Of Armor And Katana At Gettysburg College, Carolyn Hauk

Student Publications

Of the many artifacts found in Gettysburg College’s Musselman library, perhaps the most unusual and seemingly out of place may be the centuries-old replica of a samurai suit and katana standing guard over visitors and students from an oversized glass case on the first floor. Though hard to miss, their connection with Gettysburg College is not so obvious. A plaque located below the suit reads, “Samurai Armor and Warrior Katana; Late 19th Century; Gift of Major General Charles A. Willoughby; Class of 1914.” These artifacts represent hundreds of years of the ancient Samurai tradition in Japan, a crucial element of …

Chinese Propaganda And The People’S Republic In The Twentieth Century, Christopher E. Maiytt

The Hilltop Review

This paper is an examination of the development of propaganda in twentieth century China; Mao Zedong and the People Republic of China utilized images that called up cultural and economic ideas to propagate Communist thought. Propaganda imagery uniquely was able to motive mass rural support, allowing the People’s Republic to come to power, but the reason for its effectiveness in China and it’s continuous utilization in the modern day is worthy of a deeper exploration. Beginning with the Long March, the assessment of the topic moves into the revolving Party sanctioned economic campaigns and the role propaganda played to control …

Creating Herstory: Female Rebellion In Arundhati Roy’S "The God Of Small Things" And "The Ministry Of Utmost Happiness", Priyanka Tewari

Theses and Dissertations

In The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness novels, the author Arundhati Roy is not only attempting to give feminist weight to the multiplicity of locations in which gender is articulated by recasting her female characters in their quest for selfhood, she is also focusing on women and women-identified characters as agents of history, thereby contributing to an ongoing project of feminist historiography.

Professional Heartbreakers: Male Entertainers And The Divide Between Popular Culture And History In Japan, Meradeth Lin Edwards

Theses

While prostitution in Japan is widely studied, there are seldom specific examinations of males in these roles. This paper uses primary sources and secondary sources to study men as purchasable commodities, and how these roles have shaped the fictional world as well as the real world in Japan.