Event Report: Beyond the Imperiality of Freedom
On October 4th, Centre for the Study of Global Japan collaborated with the Asia Institute and the Dr. David Chu Program in Asia-Pacific Studies to host a workshop in honor of Professor Takashi Fujitani, Inaugural Dr. David Chu Chair in Asia Pacific Studies.
The full-day event featured four panels and fourteen presenters who delivered concise presentations focused on the overarching theme of decolonization in the Asia-Pacific. Panelists attended from universities around the globe and discussed their latest projects and research.
The event opened with welcoming remarks from Professor Tom Lang of the University of Toronto and Professor Adrian De Leon of New York University. Professor De Leon then commenced the first panel with a presentation on model minority guerrillas in the United States, examining the role of Filipino soldiers in the U.S. military during World War II. He argued that the inclusive racism of the United States necessitated the erasure of Filipino soldiers while facilitating Philippine independence. Professor Sidney Lu from Rice University followed with a discussion on the history of Japanese migration to Brazil. Next, Professor Melanie Ng from the University of Toronto explored how Chinese communities used systems of secret knowledge to challenge North American immigration surveillance in the early twentieth century. Concluding the panel, Professor Michael Roellinghoff from the University of Hong Kong spoke on the debates surrounding the opening of the National Ainu Museum and Park in Hokkaido, Japan.
The second panel began with Professor Tomoyuki Sasaki presenting his new book project on the uneven development between urban and rural areas in post-WWII Japan. He was followed by Professor Su Yun Kim from Hong Kong University, who examined the cultural transition from the colonial to the postcolonial period in Korea and South Korea through popular literary production. Professor Ji Hee Jung from Seoul National University discussed postwar and post-postwar historiography focusing on power and mass communication. Professor Kate McDonald from the University of California, Santa Barbara, concluded the panel by discussing the symbolism of the rickshaw puller in postwar Japan.
After the lunch break, the third panel began with Professor Aaron Peters from Ambrose University, who discussed Japanese Pan-Asian diplomacy from the 1920s to the 1940s. Professor Jiaying Shen from the University of Toronto followed with an analysis of Western hydrographic surveys of nineteenth-century Japan and the role of Japanese villagers in British charting projects. Professor Yehji Jeong, also from the University of Toronto, discussed the terminological shifts surrounding the word ‘bandit’ in 1930s Manchuria. The panel concluded with Professor Sinhyeok Jung's exploration of Iriomote Island in Okinawa as a nexus of transnational conservation networks and local development politics.
The final panel featured two speakers. Professor Soomin Kim from the University of Toronto examined the image of the Korean tiger and its connections to the postcolonial Korean nation. Professor Ryan Moran closed the day with a presentation on the history of the kan’i hoken, or basic insurance system, established by the Japanese post office.
The workshop concluded with a lively discussion among panelists and attendees, and their insights on the Asia-Pacific region. We would like to thank the panelists, the attendees, and Professor Takashi Fujitani for making this event a success. The Centre for the Study of Global Japan would also like to thank the Asia Institute and the Dr. David Chu Program in Asia-Pacific Studies for their co-sponsorship of the event.
