CJR Lunchtime Lecture Series | Centre for Japanese Research

[Jan/10] Engineering Empire: Public Works, the Environment, and Japanese Colonialism in Korea, 1894-1945

Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2018 Time: 12:30 – 1:30 PM Venue: Room 604, Asian Centre, 1871 West Mall, Vancouver Abstract Through a close reading of Japanese public works projects in precolonial and colonial Korea — focusing on railway construction and street improvement projects — this talk maps the intersection of imperialism and the environment. In the name of […]

[Nov/22] Soul Traders: Early 17th Century Trading and Religious Controversies in Japan

Venue: Asian Centre room 604 Date: Nov. 22, 2017 Time: 12:30-13:30 Abstract: In 1603 Tokugawa Ieyasu became the Shogun and ruler of all Japan. His economic and trading policies served well to strengthen his position, however the repercussions that was felt in the trading environments of the time brought to the fore incredible paradoxes that […]

[Nov/8] Trust and Promise: Foundations of Tokugawa Altruism and Cooperation

Abstract: Historical literature often suggests that Japanese people hold harmony and group solidarity in high regard. Tokugawa-period agreements, or what I call Bonds of Trust (tanomi shōmon), shed light on the mechanisms and guiding principles that buttress social cohesion in early modern Japan. The Bonds of Trust were written promises primarily used to elicit and […]